^-? Sc
History
OF
Southwest Virginia,
1 746- 1 786,
Washington County,
1777-1870.
BY
LEWIS PRESTON SUMMERS,
OF THE
ABINGDON BAR,
Alumnus of the University of Virginia, and of Tulane University,
Louisiana, and Member of the Virginia
Historical Society.
Richmond, va. :
J. L. Hill Printing Company,
1903.
CMjAiZ.
1-232
copy
THE LIBRARY OF
CONGRESS,
Two Copies Keceived
OCT 21 !903
CopyrighJ Entry
'LAS^J A. XXo. No,
^ M- 1. 0 I
COPY A. '
COPYRIGHT 1903
LEWIS PRESTON SUMMERS.
This Book is dedicated to the memory
of the first settlers of Southwest Virginia,
whose enterprise conquered her domain
and whose love of freedom and valor in
defending their rights have given to, their
posterity the blessings of civil and relig-
ious liberty.
ERRATA.
On pau;cs 18 ivnd .'It) the inotto on the Golden Horseshoe presented hy (Jovernor
Spotswood to his comrades in the expedition across the Blue Ridge Mountains is
fiiven as, "Sic jurat transcendere montes." (Tlius he swears to cross the inonntains.)
r am aware that some autliorities state the motto was, "Sic.juvat transcendere
niontes." (Thus it deli^lits (us) to cross the mountains.)
On page 18, last line, instead of "countries" read "two counties."
On page 31, line 14, read "other" between words "the" and "Indians."
On page o3, line 5, instead of " settling" read "setting."
On page 57, line 11, instead of " Inglish " read " Inglis."
On page 73, line 17, instead of ".Tudds' friend" read .Judds Friend."
On page 70, line 2, the word " Fountainbleau " should lie " Fountainehleau."
On page 93, lines 25 and 2i), instead of " Cloud's Fort " read " Cloud's Ford."
On page 114, line 3, instead of " Walden " read " Wallen."
On page 14:5, line 4, instead of " Glass " read " Gass."
(Jn page 146, line 7, instead of "Bower" read "Bowyer."
(^n page 148, line 18, instead of " Isaach " read " Isaac."
On page 1()4, line 2, a period should appear after "Burgesses," CoHowcd l)y a new
paragraph.
On page 184, line 7, instead of "county " read "country."
On page 195, line 22, instead of " marehandise" read " merchandise."
On page 257, line li, instead of "Washington Districts" read "Washington Dis-
trict."
On page 291, instead of " 1,098.9" read "1.098."
On page 292, line 26, instead of " rank " read " ranks."
( )n page 360, line 2, instead of " was " read " were."
On page 361, line 11, instead of "citizens" read "citizen."
On page 364, line 5, instead of "commissioners" read "commissioner."
On page 367, line 4, instead of "Tranalleghany " read "Transalleghany."
On page 369, line 6, instead of " Walliam" read "William."
On page 370, line 6, instead of "bans" read " banns."
On page 435, line 11, instead of "agents" read "agent.''
On page 448, line 14, instead of "A. S. A." read " U. S. A."
On page 461, line 20, Instead of "effecting" read "affecting."
On page 463, line 15, instead of "effected " read "affected."
On page 488, line U, instead of "Moline del Rey " read "Molino del Rcy."
On page .502, line 1, instead of "receive" read "receives."
On page 521, line 23, instead of "ordinance" read "ordnance."
On page 522, line 1, instead of " Cecill " read " Cecil."
On page 571, line 9, instead of "Dupree" read "Dupre."
On page 590, line 12, instead of "Hindley Harris" read "Findley Harris."
INTRODUCTION.
The writer is a native born son of Southwest Virginia, and has
always felt a great pride in his country, and since reaching ma-
tui-ity has been interested in the history of this section.
Jn the schools bnt little has been tanght in regard to the his-
tory of this portion of Virginia, as but a small part of its history
has been preserved. Our historians have been citizens of Eastern
\'n-giiiia or of other States; and while onr people have been mak-
ing history from the earliest settlement, scarcely any effort has
been made to preserve it, and as a result other parts of our country
whose history has been preserved have in many instances received
credit that properly belongs to the people of this section of Vir-
ginia, and being impressed with this fact, and prompted by a de-
sire to preserve the past history of our people, he determined, a
few years since, to collect the history of Southwest Virginia, in
so far as it was possible, and to rescue the same from oblivion, and
in doing this work he has given such time only as he could spare
from his professional duties.
If an apology is .needed for his effort in thus attempting to pre-
serve this history it will bo found in the remark oi Lord Macaulay,
wherein he justly observed : "A people which takes no pride in the
noble achievements of remote ancestors will never achieve anything
worthy to be remembered with pride by remote descendants."
There can be no question that this section of Virginia has been
robbed of much of the honor due her for the early settlement of
the vast extent of country to the west and south thereof, and
that the noble deeds of her sons have been ascribed to others ; and
a knowledge of this fact has rendered necessary the preservation of
the deeds of the worthy citizens that this section has produced,
not only to gratify the pride of our citizens, but to remind them
of the obligations they are under, and to supply them with exam-
ples of patriotism which they may seek to emulate.
The writer feels his inability to properly perform this task, but
hopes that the gleanings he has gathered may suffice in some more
skillful hands to weave for the founders and builders of our country
8 Jntroduciory.
an enduring garland of glorv, and lie asks a kind iiidnlgoncc of the
reader for sucli errors^ omissions, and imperfections as ma}' be
found in this work.
In the words of Judge Haywood: "Let no one censure his mo-
tives, for they are pure. Thcire will indeed be much room to blame
the defective perfar-mancc of the author, but this he will hear
with the greatest pleasure if the person dissatisfied will, for the
benefit of his eountr\'', either produce a more perfect work or con-
tribute to tlio merits of this."
Ill the pre])aration of this woi'k he has obtained information
from various pei-sons and ])laees, hut in nearly every instance has
]-e(|uireil documentary evidence for all statements made, and has.
given I'eferences where the statement is liable to be (piestioned,
and in quoting original pa])ers has clone so without changing the
same in any particular.
In the course of the preparation of this work he has received as-
sistance from a number of persons, for which he feels deeply
grateful. He desires to mention in this connection the following
persons: Miss Lucy Land rum, his stenographer, who has faithfidly
labored in preparing his manuscript for the printer; W. G. Stan-
ard, secretary of the Virginia Historical Society; the secretary of
the New York Historical So{;iety, Hon. J. L. Bristow; Fourth As-
sistant Postmaster-General, C. A. Dmmington ; Congressional Li-
brary, AVashington, D. C. ; Thomas E. N-imnK>, State Library, llich-
mon, Va. ; Mrs. IVlargarct C. Pilcher, Nashville, Tenn. ; Prof.
T. I). Davidson and maiiy others. L. P. Summers,
June 13, 1903. Abingdon, Va..
History of Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786,
Washington County, 1777-1870.
CHAPTEE I.
1001-1716. The history of Virginia, from the earliest times
until the date of the formation of Washington county by the
General Assembly of Virginia, is interesting and instructive, and
is necessary to a thorough comprehension of thai part of our history
subsequent thereto.
In the year 1001, the American Continent was discovered by Leif
Erickson, a ISTorthman, who sailed west from Greenland, and landed
on the coast of America in 411/4 north latitude. He named the
land of his discovery Vineland. This discovery was made in the
spring of the year, and the luxuriant growth of vegetation that
adorned the land suggested the name^ — Vineland.
This continent was visited by the ISTorthmen at intervals from
the time of the discovery of Erickson until as late as 1347. The
visits of the Northmen to America have often been questioned, and
were generally doubted, until discoveries made in recent times.
An examination of the records and documents to be found in the
archives of the Antiquarian Society of Copenhagen put to rest
this question.
So eminent an authority as Humboldt, after an examination of
the record, says : "The discovery of the northern part of America
by the Northmen cannot be disputed."
No practical benefit resulted from the adventures of the North-
men, and in view of the fact that those people ceased to visit the
newly discovered country after 1347, and actually forgot the ex-
plorations of their people, they are to be given but little credit for
their early discoveries.
Erom the time of the last visit of the Northmen, in 1347, until
the year 1492, the continent of America was unknown to the inhabi-
10 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
tants of the rest of the world ; they had never before heard of such
a land; the curtain of oblivion shut out from the vision of man-
kind the garden spot of God^s creation.
1492. In the year 1492, Christopher Columbus, a native of
Grenoa, Italy, bearing the flag of Spain, after surmounting innumer-
able difficulties, sailed west in search of a new land and discovered
what afterwards proved to be San Salvador, one of the Bahama
Islands. He took possession of the newly discovered land in the
name of the King and Queen of Spain.
Columbus did not visit the mainland of the American Continent
until many years thereafter. Nothing could be more pleasant than
to study the life and daring adventures of Columbus and other
Spanish, Portuguese, and French explorers, but their efforts are in
no way associated with the history of the country that we purpose
to deal with in this book ; this pleasure, therefore, must be deferred
to another time.
Columbus ! His name should be ever revered, and his fame is
as imperishable as the continent that he gave by discovery to the
world.
1497. John Cabot, in the year 1497, sailing the flag of England,
commissioned so to do by Henry VII, discovered Newfoundland
and Labrador, and declared that he had found a new world.
1498. The following year John and Sebastian Cabot, under a
new commission from the King of England, fitted out an expedi-
tion under the charge of Sebastian Cabot, and, sailing in a north-
wardly course, sought a rente to the East India Islands, but the
inclemency of the weather and the insurpassable barrier of ice
forced the abandonment of the original purpose of the expedition.
The course of the voyage was consequently changed, and, as a result,
Virginia was discovered in the year 1498.
John and Sebastian Cabot were the first to discover the Eastern
coast of America, and England laid claim to all the vast territory
between the 34th and 68th parallels of north latitude from the
Atlantic to the Pacific oceans, basing her claim on this discovery.
1539. De Soto, by a commission from the King of Spain, in
the years 1539 and 1540, extended his discoveries from the north
of Florida inland to the head waters of the present Holston and
Clinch rivers and thence to the Mississippi river.
1584. Eighty-five years intervened -between the time of the
Southwest Virginia, 17Jf6-1786. 11
discoveries of John and Sebastian Cabot and the first permanent set-
tlement made in all the vast territory claimed by England by reason
of their discoveries, and the honor attending this event justly be-
longs to Sir Walter Ealeigh, a young nobleman, a participant in
the French Protestant wars, who in 1493 applied to Queen Eliza-
beth for assistance in fitting out an expedition for the purpose of
planting a Colony in America. In answer to his application the
Queen gave him a commission creating him Lord of all that por-
tion of the American continent claimed by England.
The first expedition sent out by Ealeigh was composed of two
ships, and their object was to make discoveries. This expedition
sailed in April, 1584, and', on the 13th day of July of the same
year, entered Ocracoke inlet within the present limits of North
Carolina. Here they remained until September, 1584, at which
time they sailed for England, and upon their arrival Elizabeth gave
the country the name of Virginia. Immediately upon their return
seven ships carrying one hundred and eighty men set sail for the
New World and landed at Eoanoke Island in the year 1585.
This company, charmed with the prospects, decided to settle on
the island. Many of the company, not being accustomed to labor
and not being inclined to work, were greatly disappointed in their
hopes, became disheartened and, at the first opportunity, returned
to England.
Sir Eichard Grenville left fifteen men on the island to guard the
rights of England.,
Sir Ealph Lane, one of the returning colonists, introduced the
use of tobacco into England, he and the other colonists having
learned from the Indians to smoke it.
1587. In 1587 Ealeigh sent out another expedition to settle
Eoanoke Island. This expedition was composed of women and
children as well as men.
Upon reaching their destination in safety they found the tene-
ments and fort in ruins and the beasts of the forest feeding on
the vegetation where the former settlements had been located.
They found, also, scattered about the former settlement, the bones
of the fifteen men left by Sir Eichard Grenville.
This Colony was in charge of John White. Soon after the land-
ing, on August 18th, 1587, a child was bom to Annias and Vir-
ginia Dare, to whom was given the name of '"Virginia Dare." This.
13 Southwest Virginia, nJlt.6-1786.
was the first white child born of Englisli parents in America. Soon
after the birth of Virginia Dare, John White returned to England
for supplies for the Colony, leaving behind him eighty-nine men,
seventeen women and eleven children. He was delayed on his
return voyage and when he arrived at Eoanoke Island after an
absence of three years no trace of the Colony could be found except
the word Croatan carved on a tree.
It is said, but not verified, that some of this Colony found shelter
among the Indians on the coast of North Carolina.
This story of the first settlement in this part of America remains
one of the saddest tragedies in our history.
1606. One hundred and fourteen years had passed since the
discovery of America by Columbus, when King James the First
of England granted to a company* of wealthy merchants a patent
of that part of America lying between the 34th and 45th degrees
north latitude and all islands within one hundred miles of the
coast. This grant was divided between the London and Plymouth
companies.
The London Company sent out an expedition composed of one
hundred and five colonists under the command of Captain Christo-
pher Newport, an experienced seaman. Although this expedition
sailed in 1606, it did not reach the mouth of Chesapeake bay until
May 15, 1607.
f James river and Capes Henry and Charles were discovered
and named for the king of England and his sons. The colonists
continued the voyage up the James river about fifty miles, when
they landed and began the erection of houses and the making of
all necessary arrangements for a permanent settlement. Thus was
founded Jamestown, and thus occurred, according to a noted histo-
rian, "The most important event in profane history," and thus
the foundation stones of the greatest commonwealth and republic
the world has ever known were laid by m^en whose posterity were
destined to kindle a spirit of political and religious liberty such as
can be extinguished only with the Anglo-Saxon race.
This settlement at Jamestown may be regarded as the starting
point of all Virginia histories.
The first Colony in Virginia began under circumstances having
*Stith— Henning's Statutes at Large, page 60.
I Indian name "Powhatan River."
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 13
a tendency to discourage the thoughtful, and reasonably so, because
of the fact that of the one hundred and five colonists only twelve
were laborers, the remaining ninety-seven being tliriftless and dis-
solute.
All power was vested in a body of councillors composed of
Bartholomew Gosnold, John Smith, Edward Winfield, Christopher
Newport, Jolin Eatcliffe, John Martin and George Kendall.
Edward Winfield was chosen the first Grovemor of the Colony of
Virginia, and thus began civil government in America.
Shortly after the settlement Captains Newport and Smith de-
cided to explore the country, traveled up the James river as far as
the falls and visited Powhatan, the king of the Indians, whose
capital was near the present site of the city of Eichmond.
After a short stay at the Indian village, Newport and Smith
returned to Jamestown. Newport soon left for England, and
immediately thereafter trouble arose among the colonists. Win-
field was succeeded by Eatcliffe, and Eatcliffe by Captain Smith,
who, by his excellent management of the Colony, won the title of the
"Father of Virginia."
Late in the autumn Captain Newport returned from England,
bringing about seventy new colonists, two of the number being
women (Mrs. Forrest and Annie Bergess), and a considerable
quantity of supplies.
Among the new colonists were several gold refiners, who, dis-
covering earth near Jamestown having a resemblance to gold, pro-
nounced the same gold of the best quality, and, thereupon, the
entire Colony forsook all commendable enterprises and wasted their
time and energies in loading one of Newport's vessels with this
earth, which proved, upon its arrival in England, to be worthless.
Another ship returning to England would have been loaded with
a similar cargo, but Captain Smith objected, and it was loaded
with cedar wood. This was the first valuable cargo exported from
this part of America to England.
The Colony, having thus wasted their energies and consumed
their supplies, would, no doubt, have perished during the winter
that followed, had not Captain John Smith exercised the energies
of his resourceful mind in feeding and protecting them. The
best friend Captain Smith found in this New World was Poca-
hontas, the daughter of Powhatan, the chief of the Indians. The
14 Southwest Virginia, 171^6-1786.
colonists charged that Smith intended to marry Pocahontas and
make himself king of Virginia.
1608. In the year 1G08 Captain Smith, in a small open barge,
explored the Chesapeake bay and its tributaries.
1609. In the month of May, 1609, a new and very beneficial
charter was granted the London Company, and the Colony began
to prosper.
The new charter conferred on the company the powers of the
king, the local authority of the Governor was greatly increased and
Lord Delaware was made Governor for life.
Captain Smith, in this year, divided the Colony and sent a part
thereof to mai:e a settlement at the falls of the James river, near
Eichmond, and another part thereof to Nansemond. In this year
Captain Smith was forced to return to England in consequence of
serious injuries received from the explosion of his powder flask. At
the time of his departure the Colony numbered four hundred and
fifty persons, all abundantly supplied.
Thus terminated the career in America of the man who faithfully
earned the title of the "Father of Virginia."
The Colony thereafter, for a time, was without a competent ruler,
and such was the profligacy and viciousness of the ruler they had,
and the people, that in a short time the condition of the Colony was
changed from prosperity to abject want, and by the spring of 1610
there remained but sixty persons in the Colony, and these were on
the verge of starvation.
At this time Gates and Somers arrived from the West Indies, and
all the Colony, crowding aboard their ships, had actually sailed for
Newfoundland, but they were not out of the James river when
they were met by Lord Delaware, with three ships, many new set-
tlers and a large quantity of provisions, in fact everything requisite
to relieve the situation. Lord Delaware prevailed upon the colo-
nists to return to Jamestown, where under his splendid manage-
ment the Colony prospered again.
Unfortunately, in the year 1611 Lord Delaware was forced by bad
health to return to England, and the government was placed in the
hands of Sir George Percy, a man wanting in authority. In a
short time the Colony was again reduced to abject want. Percy
was succeeded by Sir Thomas Dale, a man of practical ideas, and
again the Colony prospered. He was a soldier by profession, and
Southwest Virginia, 17Jf6-1786. 15
his authority, exercised rightly, met the demands of the hour.
During his administration the Colony was augmented by the arrival
of three hundred emigrants from England,
From the founding of the Colony at Jamestown in 1607 until the
latter part of the administration of Sir Thomas Dale all property
had been held in common, but he directed a division of property
among the colonists, and from this time we may certainly trace
an improvement in the conditions of the people.
Every man thereafter was dependent upon his individual exer-
tions for his livelihood. Laziness was punished by flogging and
irons. Mutineers and deserters were punished with death. The
lands of the colonists were divided and allotted to the members
of the Colony, and then, for the first time, the right of property in
lands was recognized in America. Several new settlements were
made during this time on both sides of the James river.
The administration of the affairs of the Colony was entrusted suc-
cessively to Sir Thomas Gates, George Yeardly and Captain
Argall, and to George Yeardly again in 1619.
The administration of George Yeardly marks an epoch in the
history of mankind.
Beyond question his inspiration was human liberty and repre-
sentative govenment. He believed the colonists should have a
hand in the government of themselves. He called a legislative
assembly to meet at Jamestown on July 30th, 1619, to be composed
of two representatives from each of the eleven boroughs into
which the Colony was divided, and this assembly was called the
House of Burgesses.
Thus was planted the germ from which sprang representative
government in x\merica, and thus to Virginia may be credited the
honor of being the first State in the world* ''composed of separate
boroughs diffused over an extensive surface in which the govern-
ment was organized on the principle of universal suffrage."
All freemen, without exception, were entitled to vote.
In the following year, 1620, a Dutch ship landed at Jamestown
and sold to the planters about twenty Africans to be held as slaves,
and thus began slavery in America.
On the 24th day of July, 1621, the London Company gave to
the Virginia colonists a written Constitution, granting all the rights
*Bancroft.
16 Southwest Virginia, 17^6-1786.
and liberties theretofore granted l)y George Yeardly, and, about the
same time, a shipload of English maidens, about one hundred in
all, arrived at Jamestown. There was great rejoicing, and general
prosperity prevailed; the colonists were no longer numbered by
hundreds, but by thousands.
1622. Sir Francis Wyatt became Governor in the year 1G23,
and this year witnessed, on March 22d, the massacre of three hun-
dred and forty-seven men, women and children by the Indians, but
the Colony continued to grow and prosper.
The London Company was dissolved by the King in the year 1625,
and from this time the crowTi of England dictated the policy of the
Colony.
Events passed rapidly in Virginia for the next twenty years. One
governor after another came and Avcnt, but none of them was of
sufficient importance to be mentioned.
1634. /.y-In the year 1634^the territory of Virginia was divided
into eight shires or counties similar to those in England. For each
shire lieutenants were appointed to look after the military affairs,
and sheriffs and justices of the peace were commissioned to hold
courts in each of the counties, or shires. Thus was constituted and
thus began the county court system that continued with but little
change until 1870.
1646. The Virginia Colony in the struggle between Charles T
of England and his Parliament S3'mpathized with the King and
did not hesitate, upon the death of Charles I, to recognize his son,
Charles II, as king.
- Cromwell sent a force to subdue the Colony in 1650, but the
attempt was futile and the Virginians submitted only upon condi-
tion that they be permitted to retain their government and the
rights and privileges previously bestowed by the kings of England ;
which was readily agreed to. Eichard Bennett was elected Gover-
nor, but was shortly thereafter succeeded by Edward Diggs. The
next Governor of Virginia was Samuel Mathews, a Virginia planter
of forty years' standing.
1660. Upon the restoration of Charles II in 1660, Sir William
Berkley again became the Governor of Virginia.
1666. The next event of importance in the history of Virginia
arose in the Colony from the dissatisfaction aroused by the acts of
the British Parliament and the conduct of Sir William Berkley. A
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 17
large portion of the people of Virginia, under the leadership of
JSTathaniel Bacon, rebelled, and drove Sir William Berkley from
Jamestown and forced the commissioning of Bacon as a general.
These troubles ceased with the death of Bacon. This is known as
Bacon's rebellion, and it partook of the spirit that prompted Patrick
Henry and the people of Virginia, a hundred years later, to aspire
to liberty and independence.
For a period of nearly fifty years but little of interest occurred in
the history of Virginia save the succession of governors.
1698. The seat of government was removed from Jamestown to
Williamsburg in 1698. The reason assigned for the removal was
that Williamsburg was healthier, and the situation more convenient.
1710. Alexander Spotswood became the Governor of Virginia
in 1710, and with prudence governed the Colony for twelve years.
He faithfully guarded the interests of the people of Virginia and,
during his administration, inaugurated many new enterprises for
their good..
He was the first Postmaster-General for the Colonies and estab-
lished many postofiices. Under his administration the mails were
regularly carried from Williamsburg to Philadelphia. The one
undertaking of this accomplished gentleman and officer that is espe-
cially interesting to the people of Western Virginia is the expedition
undertaken by him, when, on the 1st day of August, 1716, he set out
from Chelsea upon the famous expedition to the Blue Eidge
mountains.
The Virginia Colony of one hundred and five souls in 1607 had
grown to nearly one hundred thousand. Twenty-four counties are
to be found in the Colony, and the hardy pioneer was fast pushing
his way to the base of the Blue Eidge mountains, but of the country
beyond the Blue Eidge mountains notliing was known except the
indefinite accounts of Indian traders.
Governor Spotswood determined to explore this unknown region
and, leaving the home of his son-in-law at Chelsea, in August, 1716,
accompanied by a gay and gallant band, he began his journey
through a dense wilderness inhabited by beasts of prey and the cruel
savage, and after thirty-six days of incessant toil and fatigue, the
Governor and his party, on September 5, 1716, reached the sum-
mit of one of the highest peaks of the Blue Eidge mountains, at
Swift Eun Gap, Augusta county, Virginia.
18
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
What a spot ! What an occasion ! What must have been the feel-
ings experienced by these gallant knights, when for the first time
the beautiful Shenandoah was presented to their vision! The
inspiration of the occasion must have been full compensation for all
the toil and perseverance expended in the effort. Governor Spots-
wood, in commemoration of this expedition into the heart of the
savage wilderness, presented each of the company with a small
golden horse-shoe set with jewels, and this was the origin of the
order, "Knights of the Golden Horse-Shoe."
The inscription upon the golden horse-shoe was "Sic jurat trans-
cendere montes.'^ (Thus he swears to cross the mountains), and it
is stated that these mementoes were given to all who would accept
them, promising to comply with the terms of the inscription.
Spotswood Crossing the Blue Ridge.
Governor Spotswood and his company descended the western side
of the mountain into the valley, and, finding a ford, they crossed
the Shenandoah river and "took possession of the country for King
George the First of England." They crossed the Shenandoah river
on September 6th and called it the Euphrates.
Thus the first passage of the Blue Eidge into the Valley of
Virginia was made by Governor Spotswood at this time, but, as
early as 1710, a company of adventurers found and went to the
top of the highest mountain with their horses, but did not pass over
it into the valley, by reason of the lateness of the season. Abraham
Wood had visited the New Eiver section in the year 1654.
1738. In the year 1738 the House of Burgesses of Virginia
passed a bill for the formation of two countries west of the Blue
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 19
Eidge mountains, and accordingly Orange county was divided and
that part of Orange county west of the Blue Eidge mountains was
formed into two counties, called Frederick and Augusta counties.
Thus was opened to settlement a magnificent country of which
Washington county is a part, and as the history of Washington
county is inseparably connected with the early history of Augusta
county, I will here take leave of the general history of Virginia.
20 . Southwest Virginia, 17JiG-17SG.
CHAPTER II
Indians Living in Close Pkoximity to Southwest Virginia.
The discovery of America by Columbus in 1492 can be attrib-
uted to the pious zeal of the Queen of Spain to extend the bene-
fits of the religion of Eome to all manldnd, and to the search for
gold. It is a matter of history that the Queen of Spain, to enable
Columbus to explore the western seas, sacrificed many of the jewels
pertaining to her queenly estate.
And the Queen of Spain was but one of many emissaries of the
church, who, in their zeal, were ready, to brave tlie unknown seas
and to make any sacrifices to serve their master. With Columbus
came a number of priests, and with every ship that sailed from the
co-ast of Spain, France, Portugal and Italy, the missionaries of the
cross were to be numbered among the passengers, bound for Amer-
ica, determined to explore the New World, hunt out the inhabitants
thereof, and convert them' to their master. Thus, within a few years
after the discovery of America, priests were to be found in almost
every part of the New World, exploring the country and teaching
the Indians their blessed religion. The priesthood of Rome in
those early days were educated, energetic, observing men, as they
have ever been, and it is to this source that we must look for the
earliest histor}^ of our country and of the Indian inhabitants for
many years previous to the coming of the Anglo-Saxon race.
These early visitors to this portion of America preserved a history
of their times, and it is to be found in the archives of the govern-
ments of France, Spain and Portugal, and of the Church of
Rome. This investigation will not permit any inquiry extending
beyond the limits of that portion of Southwest Virginia included
within the bounds of Washington county.
In the year 1539 Hernando De Soto landed at Tampa, Florida,
with orders from the Court of Spain to form a settlement on the
seashore and to explore Florida to its westernmost limits.
The Spanish government at that time contended that Florida
included all that part of America extending from the Gulf of
Mexico on the south to Virginia on the north, and from the
Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific.
Southwest Virginia, llJ^G-nSG. 21
Pursuant to his authority De Soto, at the head of a thousand
nien, exploring the country, traveled in a northerly direction to the
home of the Appalaches, a tribe of Indians living on the banks of
a river in Georgia called by the Indians Witchlacooche ; thence,
continuing in a northerly direction, they passed near the present site
of Columbia, S. C, where they struck the Santee river, thenoe pass-
ing up the Saluda branch of the Santee, they came, for the first
time, to a country uninhabited, and found it difficult to obtain food
sufficient to sustain themselves, but sending out companies of men
to search for Indians, after some time a party of men returned
to camp accompanied by a few Indians, who, being questioned,
informed De Soto that to the north of them there lived a powerful
tribe of Indians on the Hogoheegee river (Tennessee river), to
which place they traveled. This tribe of Indians was called, at that
time, Cafitachique and was governed by a queen.
The historian of this expedition, Louis Hernandez De Biedma,
says : "We remained ten or twelve days in the Queen's village, and
then set off to continue our explorations of the country."
De Soto marched thence ton days in a northerly direction through
a mountainous country where but little food was to be found until
he reached a province called Xuala, which was thinly settled. Ho
then ascended to the source of the Great river,* which he supposed
was the St. Esprit. This information was furnished by De Biedma
to the King and council of the West Indies in 1544 and is now
in existence and fully authenticated.
To any one who will take the time and trouble to investigate this
matter it will be evident that De Soto and his followers explored
the country from Florida to the Queen's village, which must have
been on the Tennessee river near the present site of Knoxville,
Tennessee. Thence ascending the same to its sources they were, as
early as 1540, beyond question, visitors to the territory now included
within the boundaries of Washington county.
The course pursued and the time required, it has been aptly said,
confirm this opinion.
But a small part of the account of this trip of exploration has
been herein copied, but space will not permit much to be said. The
reader must not conclude from what has been said that De Soto
and his followers met with no resistance from the inhabitants of
*The Indians always spoke of the Tennessee river as the Great river.
23 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
the country through which they passed, for this same account de-
tails the incidents connected with many desperate battles between
the invaders and the invaded, and at no part of the journey did De
Soto meet such magnificent specimens of mankind or find greater
resistance than upon his arrival at the Queen's village on the Ten-
nessee and in his progress thence to the sources of the Great river.
De Biedma tells us that the inhabitants of Xuala were a hardy
race, living in log houses daubed with clay and very comfortable in
the winter season, but that during the summer months they usually
reposed in the open air, spending much of their time in hunting.
According to this same authority they used sharped-edged stones,
slings, bows, arrows and clubs in war and peace. Many evidences
of the instruments used by the Indians and the places of their
manufacture are to be found in Southwest Virginia at this date.
The inhabitants of Xuala lived, as did all the Indian inhabitants
south of the Potomac and Ohio rivers, in towns, but the towns of
the inhabitants of Xuala differed from those of most other tribes
of Indians in this, that their towns generally were so built as to
combine the requisites of a town and a fort.
These forts were circular and varied in size from three hun-
dred to six hundred and a thousand feet in diameter.
They were sometimes built of stone, and in other instances of
earth. The embankments were from six to ten feet high and in
many cases surrounded by ditches of requisite width and depth.
They were used as towns as well as forts. Many fragments of
carved stone and earthenware are to be found near those old forts.
The remnants of these forts or towns can be found in Southwest
Virginia at this time.
In Castle's Woods, Eussell county, as well as on the farm of T. P.
Hendricks and at other places in this county, the evidences of
former Indian towns are clearly perceptible.
A stone fort of great size formerly stood in Abb's Valley, Taze-
well county, and what is spoken of as a remarkable fort is to be
found on the farm formerly owned by a Mr. Crockett near Tazewell
C. H., having evident traces of trenches and something like a draw-
bridge.
An Indian town stood upon the Byars farm in the upper end of
this county, and the Indian name thereof is preserved : "Kilmack-
ronan."
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 23
These forts and other eyidences of Indian occupancy must be
attributed to the men occupying Xuala at the time of the visit of De
Soto in 1540, for they cannot be the product of the Cherokees.
since an examination of the age of trees found growing on these
forts is sufficient to show that they were there before the coming
of the Cherokees, and, for this better reason, these forts were not
built after the manner of the Cherokees.
From a perusal of the preceding pages it is evident that the
land of the Xualas of three hundred and sixty years ago was none
other than Southwest Virginia and East Tennessee, and that it was
peopled by a hardy, ingenious, war-like race.
It is proper to state here that many historians repudiate the idea
that De Soto visited Southwest Virginia in 1540, but it is the
opinion of this writer that he did visit this section at that time,
and this opinion is given after a careful perusal of all available
authorities.
We know nothing further of the people who inhabited Xuala, or
Southwest Virginia in 1540. A tradition existed among the Chero-
kees that these people were driven from Southwest Virginia by
the Cherokees some time in the ages preceding the coming of the
white man, but no authentic information exists by which their exit
can be noted.
Captain Henry Batte with a company of rangers, by direction of
Governor Berkley, crossed the Blue Eidge mountains at "Wood's
Gap now in Floyd county, in 1671 and came near to the habitations
of a tribe of Indians living on a river flowing westward, said by the
Indian guides to be the makers and venders of salt to Ihe other
Indian tribes, and Trembling, in many particulars, the inhabitants
of Xuala as described by De Biedma, and it is rn^re than prob-
able that the early inhabitants of Southwest Virginia were not
driven from their homes until after 1671.
As far as I can ascertain, the Indian inhabitants of Southwest
Virginia have been Xualans, Cherokees and Shawnese.
Some time between the years 1671 and 1685 the Xualans were
driven from Southwest Virginia by the Cherokee tribe of Indians,
and this tribe is closely identified with the settlement of Southwest
Virginia.
Adair, an early writer, says that this tribe of Indians derive their
name from Chee-ra "fire," which is their reputed lower heaven.
24 Southwest Virginia, 17 Ji 6-17 80.
The origin of this tribe is not known, but a tradition existed
among them that when they crossed the Alleghanies they found a
part of the Creek Nation inhabitating this countr}^, and it may be
that the Creek Indians were the inhabitants of ancient Xuala.
The Cherokees were the mountaineers of ahoriginal America;
they loved their homes, were brave to a fault, and were never happy
except when engaged in war.
This nation and many of their villages will be frequently men-
tioned in connection with the early exploration and settlement of
Southwest Virginia, for many times did our ancestors suffer from
their vigor and enterprise.
This tribe of Indians gave names to most of the rivers in South-
west Virginia, and it may be proper to here detail the aboriginal
names of the rivers of Southwest Virginia.
The Holston river from its source to the junction of the French
Broad, was called the Hogoheegee, and from thence to the mouth
of the Little Tennessee river it was known as the Cootcla.
The early maps of this section of America made by the French
explorers gave to the Holston river the name of the Cherokee river ;
to the Clinch they gave the name of Shawanon, and to the same
river the English gave the name of Shawanoa, and the Indian
name for the Clinch river was Pellissippi.
The Cherokees were not long permitted to enjoy the fruits of
their conquest, for as early as 1672 the confederacy of the Six
Nations conquered the Illinois and Shawnese Indians, the latter
tribe being a part of the Six Nations.
In 1685 they added to their conquests the Miamis and carried
their victorious arms to the Mississippi and south as far as Georgia,
a vast territory twelve hundred miles in length and six hundred
miles in breadth, and, in doing so, destroyed whole nations of In-
dians of whom no record was found by the English.
The Cherokees were driven south of the Tennessee, and settled
upon the Savannah and in the territory south of the Tennessee, and
there made their homes until moved by the Anglo-Saxon settlers
about one hundred years thereafter.
Thus the vast extent of territory lying south and east of the Ohio
river and including Southwest Virginia was conquered, but not
occupied, by the confederacy of the Six Nations, and its inhabitants
were driven into other countries. It thus became a vast wilderness,
Southwest Virgmia, 1746-1786. 25
never thereafter to be occupied until the coming of the white man,
except by roving bands of Indians while himting, or in passing from
their habitations in the south to the Indian towns and villages in
Ohio.
This vast park was filled ^vith the finest game in great quantities,
and, for more than one hundred years previous to its settlement by
the Anglo-Saxon, it was jointly used, as if by common consent, as
a hunting ground by the Cherokees, Shawnese and Six Nations, but
the Cherokees were compelled to admit the superior title of the Six
Nations to the sovereignty of the soil, which they did by frequent
gifts of game killed within the territory.
Some writers, in explanation of the absence of the Indians from
this section of America at the time of the early explorations of
the white man, give the following as a tradition of the Cherokees
and Shawnese: "tbat in so favored a land, where man's natural
wants are so fully satisfied, there could be no community of peace
and happiness^, that with such ease to the body and disquiet to the
soul the councils of man must always overflow with the vanities
of argument and the pride of innate egotism; so the tradition was,
that once of old there was a delegated assemblage of the chiefs of
the Indian tribes for a conference with the Great Spirit, at which
conference the Great Spirit detailed certain great calamities that
had befallen them in the paradise of Hogoheegee, which were trace-
able to the causes named above, and thereupon the Great Spirit
ordered all their nations to remeve beyond certain boundaries, out
of this Eden, which the Great Spirit informed them was too easy
of life for their content and happiness and their future security."
Thereupon this vast empire was consigned to the peaceful domin-
ion of nature, and all the lands upon the waters from the Holston to
the headwaters of the Kentucky and Cumberland rivers were with-
out permanent inhabitants.
The first cause above assigned was the true cause of the uninhab-
ited condition of Southwest Virginia, the enmity between the Chero-
kees and Shawnese. This enmity was such as to deter both tribes
from any considerable aggressions on this territor}^, the middle
ground between the nations. Many battles were fought between
these two nations, and, even so late as the summer of 1768, a des-
26 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
perate battle was fought between the Cherokees and Shawnese near
Eieh Mountain,* in Tazewell county, Virginia.
Early in the summer of 1768 about two hundred Cherokee In-
dians camped near a lick in that part of Southwest Virginia to
spend the summer in hunting.
They were soon disturbed by the appearance of several hundred
Shawnese Indians, their deadly enemies.
The Shawnese chief immediately sent orders to the Cherokees to
leave the lick and the hunting grounds, but his messenger was sent
back with a defiant answer by the Cherokees and both parties began
to prepare for battle. The Cherokees retired to the top of Rich
Montain and there threw up, before night, a breastwork consisting
of an embankment running along the top of the mountain about
eighty yards and then turning off down the mountain side, the em-
bankment being three or four feet high and running east and west.
The battle was opened the evening of the first day, but after
some fighting the Shawnese withdrew and made preparations to
begin the attack the following morning. It is said that long before
day the fiendish yells of the warriors might be heard echoing
over the rugged cliffs and deep valleys of the surrounding country.
Day came, and for the space of half an hour, a deathlike stillness
reigned on the mountain top and side. With the first rays of the
rising sun a shout ascended the skies as if all the wild animals in
the woods had broken forth in all their most terrifying notes.
The sharp crack of rifles and the ringing of tomahawks against
each other, the screams of women and children and the groans of
the dying now filled the air around.
Both parties were well armed and the contest was nearly equal,
the Shawnese having most men, while the Cherokees had the advan-
tage of their breastworks. Through the entire day the battle raged,
and when night closed in, both parties built fires and camped on
the ground.
During the night the Cherokees sent to two white men then in the
vicinity for powder and lead, which they furnished.
When the sun rose the next morning the battle was renewed with
the same spirit in which it had been fought on the previous day. In
a few hours, however, the Shawnese were compelled to retire. The
loss on both sides was great. A large pit was dug and a common
*Bickley's History of Tazewell County.
Southwest Virginia, 17Jf6-1786. 27
grave received those who had fallen in this the last battle fought
between the red men in this section of America. The battle-ground,
breastwork and great grave are still to be seen.
At the time of the earlier explorations of Southwest Virginia the
nearest permanent Indian settlements were to be found south of the
Tennessee river.
Many vestiges of an earlier and numerous population were found
in Southwest Virginia and, in many instances, are still to be seen,
indicating a state of civilization far in advance of that found among
the Indians of that day.
Tlie first hunters and explorers in their many exped^itions
throughout all this vast territory never found a single wigwam cr
Indian village., It was nothing more than the common hunting
ground of the Cherokees and Shawnese.
Along the valley of what is known as Southwest Virginia lay the
usual route of travel between the Southern and Northern Indians,
whether engaged in peaceful intercourse or warlike expeditions, and
by this same path they traveled when on the chase or their migra-
tions.
Several considerations prompted the Indians to adopt this course
in their travelings, viz. : such as the ease with which the mountains
could be crossed, the abundance of game, the absence of swamps and
large streams of impassable water and the absence of hostile inhabi-
tants, and these same considerations led to the early settlement of
this section and the adoption of this route of travel by the early
Scotchf^rish and English settlers of Kentucky and Tennessee.
One of these routes or Indian trails was nearly on the present
McAdam road passing Eoanoke, Va., thence to New Eiver near
Inglis' Ferry, thence, following the same McAdam road, to Seven
Mile Ford, thence to the left of the present main road and following
near to the present location of the same by Abingdon until it strikes
the North Fork of Holston river a few miles above the Long
Island of Holston river, crossing the same at the old ford of the
North Fork and on into Tennessee until it connected with the great
warpath of the Creeks. Near Wolf Hills, now Abingdon, another
route or trail came in from the northwest. This trail from the
northwest pursued nearly the route traveled by the early settlers to
Kentucky, crossing the mountains at Cumberland Gap. A more
28 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
minute description of this trail will be given in another and more
appropriate place in this book.
This trail crossed the first above described Indian trail at a point
on West Main street where the Eussell road leaves Main street. The
statement has been often made that an Indian trail followed the
northwest bank of the JSTorth Fork of Holston river through this
count}', but I am not satisfied that such was a fact.
Bickley, in his history of Tazewell county, says the principal
Indian trails through Tazewell county led through the Clinch Val-
ley, but after the whites began to settle, these Indian trails all led
from the Ohio river. One of these trails led up the Indian Eidge
(now on the boundary between Virginia and West Virginia) till
opposite the Trace Fork of Tug river; it then crossed over to that
braiich and, keeping into the lowest gap of the hills, led into Abb's
Valley.
Another trail, afterwards much used by the whites, left the
Indian Eidge and struck Tug river at the mouth of Clear Fork
creek, thence up that creek till it fell over on a branch emptying
into tlie Dry Fork of Tug river. It then followed that stream to its
head and passed through Eoark's Gap, near Maxwell's, in Taze-
well county.
Another trail cauie up the Louisa Fork of Sandy river, leading
into the settlements on Clinch river, now in Eussell and Tazewell
counties. It is worthy of notice tliat these trails always crossed
the mountains and ridges at the lewdest gaps to be found, and
frequently, built in these gaps, are to be found monuments of
rock piled up oftentimes to considerable height. Several of these
monuments may be seen in this coimty, in Little Moccasin Gap, on
the Byars farm on Middle Fork, on the Mahaffey farm on South
Fork, and another in Eoark's Gap, in Tazewell county.
Eamsey, in his Annals of Tennessee, states that the first described
Indian trail after leaving Seven Mile Ford bore to the left and fol-
lowed the Middle and South Forks of Holston river until it crossed
the North Fork of Holston river at the Old Ford above Long
Island in Tennessee.
In making this statement the historian may be correct, and some
evidences yet remain that might be given to sustain this statement,
notably a small Indian mound and the vestiges of an old Indian
village (Kilmackronan), on the north and south sides of the Middle
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 29
Fork of Holston river, where the same passes through the farm
formerly owned by Captain James Byars near Glade Spring, and a
small Indian mound on the farm formerly owned by J. Gr. Mahaffey
about six miles southeast of Abingdon.
But we cannot admit this statement to be coj-rect, because the
route as described is inconsistent with the habits of the Indians,
besides, it does not confonn to the course pursued by the early set-
tlers of this section of Virginia.
The Indian in traveling (almost without a single exception, as
far as I can ascertain) followed that course of travel which would,
as far as possible, avoid the crossing of water, and of course he
followed the highlands near the headwaters of the creeks and rivers.
It is evident to every man conversant with the topography of this
county that he would have passed through this county near Glade
Spring, Meadow View and Abingdon.
It is generally accepted as true that the early hunters and explor-
ers in this, as well as other sections of Virginia and the United
States, followed, almost without a single deviation, the trails made
and used by the Indians. And to this cause may be attributed the
fact that many of the public roads of this section when first estab-
lished were located over the steepest hills and ridges to be found in
our country.
In other words, the Indian made his trail over the hills to avoid
the waters ; the white man adopted the Indian trail as his road
becaiise it was already open, and possibly, to some extent, for the
same reason as the Indian, to avoid crossing water.
We know that the early hunters and settlers traveling through
and settling in this section, after leaving Seven Mile Ford passed
througli the Byars farm near Glade Spring, thence near Meadow
View and through the location of Abingdon of the present day, and
into Tennessee.
Another statement made by Eamsey as to this same Indian trail
is frequently challenged, and for very good reason.
Ramsey states that this Indian trail crossed the North Fork of
Holston river above Long Island as above stated, while from all
present indications this trail crossed the South Fork of Holston
river at Long Island.
At least evidences of an Indian trail and ford are to be seen
near Long Island at this time, and it is not reasonable to believe
30 Southwest Virginia, 171^6-1786.
that the Indians would cross the Xorth Fork of the Holston river
and then the Holston river proper to reach his towns and home,
when he could cross the South Fork of Holston once and reach his
home.
While Southwest Virginia and East Tennessee were unoccupied
by the Indians at the time of the early settlements, still it may not
be amiss to give briefly a description of the Indian tribes that pre-
ceded our forefathers and afterwards gave them so much trouble in
their first undertakings.
As to the remote Indian inhabitants of this section of the Ameri-
can Continent, nothing authentic is known beyond the evidences of
their occupancy to be gathered from tumuli scattered throughout
the country and the remains found in close proximity thereto.
These remains indicate the existence, at some distant time, of a
dense population, civilized to a great extent, and it is not improb-
able that at a time in the past all this section was the seat of a
civilization that would have compared favorably with that of Greece
and Eome.
The Cherokee Indians Icnew nothing further of these vestiges
than that their forefathers found them here, and they considered
them the evidences of a numerous population far advanced in civili-
zation.
The modern Indian held in great veneration these evidences of
an extinct tribe, and never used them save for religious purposes.
The piles of stones often found scattered throughout the country,
generally to be found in the gaps of the mountains and ridges, are
believed to be the work of modern Indians. The modern Indian
was of an exceedingly superstitious turn, as all barbarians or
heathen nations have been.
It has been for all time not uncommon to find, in heathen coun-
tries, similar heaps of stone erected by the inhabitants at some
particular spot, as an offering to an evil spirit, who, according to
their superstitions, would afflict or bless the passer-by.
A pile of stone, such as indicated, may be seen near the main
turnpike road as it passes through Little Moccasin Gap.
The Indian tribes that molested the early settlers in this section
were the Cherokees and the Shawnese.
Adair, an early Indian trader, and later historian, in describing
the Indian and his passion for revenge, says:
'Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 31
"I have known them to go a thousand miles for the purpose of
revenge, in pathless woods, over hills and mountains, through large
cane swamps full of grape-vines and briars, over broad lakes, rapid
rivers and deep creeks and all the way endangered by poisonous
snakes, if not by the rambling and lurking enemy, while, at the
same time, they were exposed to the extremities of the heat and
cold, the vicissitudes of the season, to hunger and thirst, both by
chance and their religiously scanty method of living when at war,
to fatigue and other difficulties. Such is their revengeful temper
that all these things they contemn as imaginary trifles, if they are
so happy as to get the scalp of their enemy."
And this record is preserved by a man who spoke from his
experience with the Cherokee Indians, the one tribe that gave the
early settlers of this section more trouble than all the Indian tribes
combined.
CHEROKEES.
The Cherokee tribe of Indians, at the time of the. settlement of
Southwest Virginia, inhabited one of the most attractive sections
of the American Continent, occupying the banks of the Catawba,
Savannah, Yadkin and Tennessee rivers on the east and south and
several of the feeders of the Tennessee on the west.
There were no fortresses to be found among them. Their settle-
ments were rude huts scattered irregularly along some water way
convenient to good pasture land and hunting and fishing grounds.
They usually had small clearings which were cultivated by the
women and children in Indian corn and beans.
But little of the history of the Cherokees can be gathered from
their traditions. The existence of this tribe of Indians was noted by
the historian of the expedition of De Soto when traveling in the
South, and it is said that they came originally from east of the
Alleghany mountains. Their principal town or capital city was
Choto, located about five miles from the ruins of Fort Loudon, in
Tennessee.
They were the mountain people of America and loved their homes
and their liberties.
They frequently aided the early settlers of this portion of America
in their wars with the French and English, a company of Indians
from this tribe having participated in the siege of Fort Du Quesne
32 Southwest Virginia, 17Jf6-1786.
under Captain Pearls, but much oftener did they carry death into
the homes of tlie early settlers of the Carolinas and Virginia.
This tribe, previous to 1769, were numerous and exceedingly
quarrelsome and arrogant.
At this time they quarreled with the Chickasaw Indians and
undertook an invasion of their country, but were overwhelmed by
the Chickasaws after a great battle at the Chickasaw old fields.
This overwhelming defeat occurred at the same time that Arthur
Campl)ell, William Edmiston, and many other ' hardy pioneers
fii-st pitched their tents on the waters of the Holston and Clinch,
and there can be no doubt that this occurrence contributed much to
the rapid settlement of this section of Virginia.
For thirty years following the advent of the first settlers into this
country the Cherokees killed and scalped the inhabitants at every
opportunity.
The population of tliis tribe in 1735 was considerable. Adair
says that they had sixty^four populous towns, and their fighting
men numbered ahove six thousand..
In the year 1776 the number of warriors pertaining to this tribe
was two thousand four hundred and ninety-one.
This h-lhe of Indians now occupy a part of the Indian Territory.
It will be remembered that the Cherokees used principally the val-
leys of the Holston in their hunting expeditions and seldom visited
the valleys of the Clinch.
SIIAWNESE.
But little can be said of this Indian tribe save that it was known
as a wandering nation.
At times in their history they occupied territory in almost all
sections of the country east of the Mississippi river and south of
the Lakes, but at the time when this tribe gave trouble to our
ancestors their homes were on the Wabash and Miami rivers, where
they built many villages. Their principal town, called "Piquo,^' was
the birthplace of the great Tecumseh.
This tribe had a tradition respecting their origin. They believed
their fathers crossed the ocean from the East under the guidance of
a leader of the Turtle tribe, one of their original subdivisions, and
that they walked into the sea, the waters of which parted, and thus
passed over on the bottom to this -land.
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 33
This tribe of Indians were responsible for many of the murders
and outrages suffered by the early settlers on the Clinch and many
times on the Holston, the Indians coming by the trails through
Cumberland Gap and the trails coming into Tazewell county pre-
viously described.
The population of this tribe in 1735 did not, according to Adair,
exceed four hundred and fifty souls.
This tribe of Indians assisted the British in the wars of 1776
and 1812, and in the latter struggle did effective service for their
British allies.
In 1817 they ceded their lands in Ohio to the United States and
were soon confined to a small reservation west of the Mississippi
river.
34 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
CHAPTEE III
Eaely Explorations of Southwest Virginia by the White
Man.
From the time of the first settlement at Jamestown in 1607, the
English Colony had grown rapidly and had expanded until their
western borders were in view of the Blue Eidge. With the usual
vigor and enterprise of the Anglo-Saxon, we find, in the year 1641,
a number of the citizens of Virginia petitioning the House of Bur-
gesses for permission to undertake the discovery of a new river of
land west and southerly from the Appomattox, and, in March, 1642,
we find the House of Burgesses passing an act granting such per-
mission. The act is as follows :
"Forasmuch as Walker Austin, Eice Hoe, Joseph Johnson and
Walter Chiles, for themselves and such others as they shall think
fitt to joyn with them, did petition in the Assembly in June 1641
for leave and encouragement to undertake the discovery of a new
river of unknowne land bearing west southerly from Appomattake
river. Be it enacted and confirmed, that they and every one of them
and whom they shall admit shall enjoy and possess to them, their
heirs, executors, administrators or assigns all profit whatsoever they
in their particular adventure can make unto themselves by such
discovery aforesaid, for fourteen years after the date of the said
month of January, 1641, provided there be reserved and paid into
his Majesty's use by them' that shall be appointed to receive them,
the fifth part of Eoyal Mines whatsoever ; provided also, that if they
shall think fit to employ more than two or three men in the said
discovery they shall then do it by commission from the Governor of
the Councill."*
It is well to preserve this the earliest known evidence of the desire
of any man to hunt out the very country we now occupy.
The names of a portion of these first daring spirits, Austin, John-
son and Chiles, afterwards became familiar to our own country,
and while no evidence is at hand to establish the fact, yet it is more
than probable that these men by their efforts made possible the
future success of Walker, Draper, Inglis, Wood, and others.
^1 Hen. Stat., p. 262.
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 35
The record of the next effort to reach this portion of the wilder-
ness by the enterprising citizens of Eastern Virginia is to be found
in an act of the House of Burgesses of Virginia passed in July,
1653j more than a hundred years before a permanent settlement
was effected on the waters of the Clinch or Holston rivers.
The Act is as follows. Passed July, 1653 :
"Whereas, an act was made in the Assembly, 1642, for encour-
agement of discoveries to the westward and southward of this
country, granting them all profits arising thereby for fourteen
years, which act is since discontinued and made void, it is by
this Assembly ordered that Colonel William Clayborne, Esq., and
Captain Henry Fleet, they and their associates vidth them, either
jointly or severally, may discover, and shall enjoy such benefits,
profits and trades for fourteen years as they shall find out in places
where no English ever have been and discovered, nor have had par-
ticular trade, and to take up such lands by patents proving their
rights as they shall think good : nevertheless, not excluding others
after their choice from taking up land and planting in these new
discovered places, as in Virginia now versed. The like order is
granted to Major Abram Wood and his associates."
The three gentlemen, William Clayborne, Henry Fleet and Abra-
ham Wood, mentioned in this act, each represented a shire in the
Virginia House of Burgesses, and were intent, no doubt, upon the
acquisition of wealth and the development of the country.
We have no information that leads us to believe that any of the
persons named in the preceding act, with the exception of Colo-
nel Abraham Wood, at any time made an effort to accomplish the
purpose of that act.
Dr. Hale, in his book 'entitled "Trans- Alleghany Pioneers,'^
makes the following statement :
"The New river was first discovered and named in 1654 by Colo-
nel Abraham Wood, who dwelt at the falls of the Appomattox, now
the site of Petersburg, Va.^'
Being of an adventurous and speculative turn, he got from the
Governor of Virginia a concession to explore the country and open
up trade with the Indians to the west. There is no record as to
the particular route he took, but as the line of adventure, explora-
tion and discovery was then all east of the mountains, it is prob-
36 Southwest Virginia, 171^0-1786.
able that he first struck the river not far from the Blue Kidge and
near the present Virginia and North Carolina lines.''
I do not know from what source Dr. Hale obtained this infor-
mation, and I give it for what it is worth.
It is reasonable to believe that Colonel Wood made this trip,
and, to support this view, three circumstances may be mentioned.
First. The House of Burgesses of Virginia had authorized Colo-
nel Wood, along with others, in July of the preceding year, to
discover a new river of unknown land where no English had ever
been or discovered. Secondly. A gap in the Blue Ridge, lying
between the headwaters of Smith river, a branch of the Dan, in
Patrick county, and of Little river, a branch of New river, in Floyd
county, is to this day called Wood's Gap. Thirdly. The present
New river was known at first as Wood's river. It is known that
at the time Thomas Batts and a company of men acting under the
authority of Colonel Wood visited this section in the year 1671,
Wood's Gap and New river had been previously visited and named
by Colonel Wood.
In the year 1671, Thomas Batts and several other persons
traveled from the falls of the Appomattox, the present site of Pe-
tersburg, Va., acting under a commission from Governor Berkley,
to explore the country west of the Blue Ridge mountains and the
South Sea.
It is worthy of notice that at the time this expedition was under-
taken it was believed that the waters flowing westward beyond the
Appalachian mountains emptied into the South Sea.
This was the first effort made to explore the country west of the
Blue Ridge, of which any record has been preserved.
A journal of this expedition was made by Thomas Batts, one of
the company. The first entry in this journal is as follows :
"A commission being granted the Hon. Maj. Gen. Wood for
ye finding out of the ebbing and flowing of ye waters behind the
mountains in order to the discovery of the South Sea: Thomas
Batts, Thomas Wood, Robert Fallen, accompanied by Perachute, a
great man of the Appomattox Indians, and Jack Nesan, formerly
servant to Majr. Genl. Wood, with five horses, set forward from
Appomattox town in Va., and about eight of the clock in the morn-
ing being Fryday Septr. 1st. 1671, and traveling about forty miles,
took up their quarters and found they had traveled from Okene-
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 37
chee path due west: They traveled for twenty-five days, a part of
the time through that portion of Virginia, near the present line
between this State and North Carolina, but when they reached the
foot of the Alleghany Mountains where the same merges into the
Blue Eidge, now in Floyd Co. Va., they turned to the north west
at a low place in the said mountain known as Wood's G-ap; and
after some time they came to a river which Genl. Wood had named
Wood's Eiver.* This river for many years thereafter was known
as Wood's Eiver, and many of the early patents in that section
of the country describe the lands as located upon Wood's Eiver."
The entry in this diary of date the 16th of Sept. says : "About
ten of the clock we set forward and, after we had traveled about
ten miles, one of the Indians killed a deer; presently after they
had a sight of a curious river like the Thames agt. Chilcey (Chel-
sea), which having a fall yt made a great noise, whose course was
N. and so as they supposed, ran W. about certain pleasant mountains
which they saw to the westward. At this point they took up their
quarters, their course having been W. by N. At this point they
found Indian fields with cornstalks in them. They marked the
trees with the initials of the company, using branding irons, and
made proclamation in these words: 'Long live King Charles ye 2nd.
king of England, France, Scotland, Ireland and Virginia and all
the terrytories thereunto belonging, defender of the faith.'
"Wlien they came to ye river-side they found it better and
broader than they expected, fully as broad as the Thames over agt,
Maping, ye falls much like the falls of the James Eiver in Va., and
imagined by the water marks it fiowed there about three feet. It
was then ebbing water. They set up a stick by the water, but
found it ebbed very slowly."
At this point their Indian guides stopped, and refused to go any
farther, saying that there dwelt near this place a numerous and
powerful tribe of Indians that made salt and sold it to the other
tribes, and that no one who entered into their towns had ever been
able to escape. Thereupon the trip was abandoned and they
started on their return to their homes without having accomplished
the object of the exploration, to-wlt: the finding of the South Sea.
But the journal adds that when they were on the top of the hill
they took a prospect as far as they could see and saw westwardly
*Now New River.
38 Southwest Virginia, 171^6-1786.
over certain delightful hills a fog arise, and a glimmering light as
from water, and supposed they might be from some great bog.
Many writers suppose that this exploring party, after reaching
the New river, descended the same to the falls of the Kanawha,
but it is more than probable that after they reached the river they
ascended the same, and the stopping point mentioned in the diary
was in Southwest Virginia, and near where the New river first
enters Virginia.
Upon the return of this company to their homes Governor Berk-
ley was very much interested in their report, but strange as it
may seem to the reader, no further attempts were made by au-
thority of the Government of Virginia for forty years to explore
the country west of the mountains.
It will be seen from' the journal of Thomas Batts that he and
his associates, and, beyond a doubt. Colonel Abraham Wood an-
ticipated, by more than half a century. Governor Spotswood and
his Knights of the Golden Horse-Shoe, in the exploration and dis-
covery of the country west of the Blue Ridge mountains.
The next effort made to explore the region west of the moun-
tains, of which we have any account, occurred in 1716, forty-five
years after the journey made by Thomas Batts, above described,
and sixty years subsequent to the visit of Colonel Abraham Wood.
In the month of August, 1716, Governor Alexander Spotswood,
with several members of his staff, left Williamsburg by coach and
proceeded to G^rmania, where he left his coach and proceeded on
horseback. At Germania this party was supplemented by a num-
ber of gentlemen, their retainers, a company of rangers, and four
Meherrin Indians — about fifty persons in all.
They journeyed by way of the upper Eappahannock, and on the
thirty-sixth day out, being September 5, 1716, they scaled the Blue
Eidge at Swift Run Gap, now in Augusta county.
John Fontaine, a member of this company, has left a journal of
this expedition, and therein thus describes what occurred when
they reached the summit of the Blue Ridge: "We drank King
George's health and all the royal family's at the very top of the
Appalachian mountains."
The company then descended the western side of the mountain,
and, reaching the Shenandoah river, they encamped upon its banks.
Fontaine thus preserves an account of what occurred :
Southwest Virginia, 17Jf6-1786. 39
"The Governor had graving irons, but could not grave anything,
the stones were so hard. I graved my name on a tree by the river-
side, and the Governor hurried a bottle with a paper enclosed on
which he writ that he took possession of this place in the name
and for King Geo. 1st. of England. We had a good dinner, and
after it we got the men together, and loaded all their arms, and
we drank the King's health in champaign and fired a volley, the
Princess's health in Burgundy and fired a volley, and in claret
and fired a volley. We drank the Governor's health and fired an-
other volley. We had several sorts of liquers', viz. Virginia Eed
Wine and White Wine, Esquebaugh, brandy, shrub, rum, cham-
paign, cavory, punch water, cider, etc.
"We called the highest mountain Mount George and the one we
crossed over ]\Iount Spotswood."
Governor Spotswood, from the fertility of the soil, gave the
name of Euphrates to the river (now Shenandoah), and he be-
lieved the same emptied into the great lakes and flowed northward.
The Governor, upon his return to Williamsburg, instituted the
Order of the Golden-Shoe, and presented to each of the gentlemen
accompanying him a small horse-shoe made of gold inscribed with
the motto : Sic jurat transcendere monies, "Thus he swears to cross
the mountains."
Governor Spotswood, in a letter written in 1716, says: "The
chief aim of my expedition over the great mountains in 1716 was
to satisfy myself whether it was practicable to come to the lakes."
The country thus described was a part of Sussex county, the
western boundary of which was undefined. Spotsylvania was
formed from Sussex in 1720, Orange from Spotsylvania in 1734,
all of said counties including the territory now within the bounds
of this county.
All this information is necessary to a history of Washington
county, because Washington county was formed from the territory
we are now dealing with, and, for the better reason, that the pro-
moters of our early settlements and the founders of our early gov-
ernment came from the Valley of Virginia.
In the year 1726, two men named Mackey and Sailings explored
the Valley of Virginia.
John Peter Sailings, one of the two explorers of the valley
40 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
above mentioned, was ca^jtured by the Indians and passed through
this immediate section as early as 1726.
Withers, in his history entitled "Border Warfare/' thus de-
scribes the captivity of Sailings :
"Sailings," he says, "was taken to the country now known as
Tennessee, where he remained for some years. In company with
a party of Cherokees, he went on a hunting expedition to the salt
licks of Kentucky and was there captured by a band of Illinois
Indians, with Mdiom the Cherokees were at war. He was taken to
Kaskaskia, and adopted into the family of a squaw, whose son
had been killed. While with these Indians he several times ac-
companied them down the Mississippi river, below the mouth of
the Arkansas, and once to the Gulf of Mexico.
The Spaniards in Louisiana, desiring an interpreter, purchased
him of his Indian mother, and some of them took him to Canada.
He was there redeemed by the French Governor of that province,
who sent him to the Dutch settlement in New York, whence he
made his way home after an absence of six years.
The earliest visit to this section of Virginia by an Anglo-Saxon
of which we have any record or knowledge was made by Dority, a
citizen of Eastern Virginia, who in the year 1690 visited the Chero-
kee Indians in their home, south of the Little Tennessee, and
traded wdth them. There can be no reasonable doubt that from
a very early period, long preceding the making of a permanent
settlement by the wdiite man in this section, many of the citizens
of Virginia living east of the mountains carried on, in many in-
stances, an active trade with the Indians living south of the Little
Tennessee and in Kentucky,
This section was uninhabitated by the Indians for many years
previous to the explorations of the white man, and the wilderness
was full of game of almost all kinds. Their flesh was valuable,
and the skins and furs taken in one season by a single hunter would
bring many hundreds of dollars, and thus many daring hunters
were induced to visit this section long before any white man thought
of settling the lands.
In confirmation of this idea Mr. Vaughan, of Amelia county,
Va., who died in the year 1801, was employed about the year 1740
to go as a packman with a number of Indian traders to the Chero-
kee nation.
Southwest Virginia, 17 Jf 6-17 86. 41
The last hunter's cabin he saw as he traveled from Amelia
county, Va., to East Tennessee was on Otter river, a branch of
Staunton river, now in Bedford county. The route he traveled
was an old trading path following closely the location of the Buck-
ingham road to a point where it strikes the Stage Eoad in Bote-
tourt county; thence nearly upon the ground which the Stage
Road occupies, crossing ISTew Eiver at Inglis' Ferry; thence to
Seven Mile Ford on the Holston; thence to the left of the road
which formed the old Stage Road; thence on to the North Fork
of Holston, above Long Island in Tennessee, crossing it where
the Stage Road formerly crossed it, and on into the heart of Ten-
nessee.
This hunter's trail, or Indian trace, was an old path when he
first saw it, and he continued to travel the same until 1754, trad-
ing with the Indians.
In the year 1730, Jolm and Isaac Van Meter obtained from Gov-
ernor Gooch, of Virginia, a patent for forty thousand acres of land
to be located in the lower valley, and this warrant was sold in 1731
to Joist Hite, of Pennsylvania, who, in 1732, brought his family
and sixteen other families and located a few miles soiith of the
present site of Winchester, Va., and this is generally believed to
be the first settlement by a white man west of the Blue Ridge.
Emigration to this new land was rapid, and soon reached beyond
the confines of Hite's possessions.
About the time of the Hite settlement John Lewis, Peter Sal-
lings and Mackey made settlements in the valley. Lewis
settled on Lewis' creek near the present site of Staunton, Sailings,
at the forks of James river and Mackey, at Buffalo Gap.
Within less than one year the population of the country near
the settlement made by Lewis was considerable, so rapid was the
migration to the new land.
The early settlers in this portion of Virginia had to contend
with titles obtained by individuals and companies for large tracts
of land, and such grantees were usually favorites of the King or
of the King's councillors.
On the 6th of September, 1736, William Gooch, Lieutenant-Gov-
ernor of Virginia, issued a patent for the "Manor of Beverly,"
covering one hundred and eighteen thousand and ninety-one acres
of land lying in the county of Orange between the great mountains
42 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
and on the River Sherando, and on September 7, 1736, William
Beverlj^^of Essex, became the owner of the entire grant..
This patent covered most of the fine lands in the Valley of Vir-
ginia near Staunton and Waynesboro, and soon thereafter Gov-
ernor Gooch granted Benjamin Borden -^tfe hundred thousand acres
of land situated south of Beverly Manor and on the waters of the
James and Shenandoah rivers.
Each of the grants above described was to become absolute, pro-
vided the patentees succeeded in settling a given number of families
thereon in the time named in the grant, and as a result the paten-
tees, Hite, Beverly and Borden, solicited and obtained settlers
from America and Europe.
Benjamin Borden, upon the receipt of his grant, immediately
visited England, and in 1737 returned with a hundred families,
among whom were the McDowells, Crawfords, MeClures, Alex-
anders, Walkers, Moores, Matthews and many others, the found-
ers of many of Virginia's distinguished families.
In 1738, the counties of Frederick and Augusta were formed out
of Orange. The territories embraced within these two counties in-
cluded all of Virginia west of the Blue Ridge and was, almost with-
out exception, a howling wilderness occupied by the Indians and
wild beasts. It is evident from the statement contained in the act
establishing Augusta county that there had been a rapid and con-
siderable increase of the population in the valley.
The act establishing the county of Augusta provided that the
organization of the county should take place when the Governor
and Council should think there was a sufficient number of inhabi-
tants for appointing jiistices of the peace and other officers and
creating courts therein.
While the act establishing Augusta county was passed in 1738,
the county was not organized until 1745. The first court assem-
bled at Staunton on December 9, 1745, at which time the following
magistrates were sworn in, having been previously commissioned y
by the Governor of Virginia — viz. : James Patton^, John Buchanan,
George Robinson, James Bell, Robert Campbell, John Lewis, John
Brown, Peter Scholl, Robert Poa^^, John Findley, Richard Woods,
John Christian, Robert Craven, John Pickens, Andrew Pickens,""
Thomas Lewis,. Hugh Thompson, John Anderson,'' Robert Cun-
ningham, James Kerr and Adam Dickenson.
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 43
James Patton was commissioned high sheriff, John Madison,
clerk, and Thomas Lewis, surveyor of the county.
It is worthy of note that James Patton, the first sheriff of Au-
gusta county, was the first man to survey and locate lands within
the boundaries of Washington county as originally formed, and the
land by him acquired composed a considerable part of the best lands
within this county.
The idea of offering the dissenters from the Church of England
inducements to settle the lands west of the mountains had often
1:)een suggested and earnestly advocated by many of the promi-
nent men in the Virginia Colony, but no move in that direction
was taken until about the time of the first settlement o.f the lower
Valley, at and after which time the Governoa- and Council of Vir-
ginia, with but little hesitancy, permitted the erection of dissenting
churches in the Valley, and encouraged the immigration of settlers
whenever possible.
The result of this action was a flood of settlers, emigrants froan
Scotland and Ireland, who came by way of Pennsylvania, mostly
Scotch-Irish Presbyterians in belief. They passed into and settled
in the Valley, and in a few years the Valley from Harper's Ferry
to ISTew river was populated with a progressive, liberty-loving peo-
ple second to none on earth.
Colonel James Patton, who came from the north of Ireland in
1736, was one of the first and most influ-cntial settlers of the Val-
ley of Virginia.
In the year 1745, he secured a grant from the Governor and
Council of Virginia, for one hundred and twenty thousand acres
of land west of the Blue Eidge, and he and his son-in-law, John
Buchanan, who was also deputy surveyor of Augusta county, lo-
cated lands on the James river, and founded and named Buchanan
and Pattonsburg, villages that were built on the opposite sides of
the James river, now in Botetourt county.
In the year 1748, Dr. Thomas Walker, who afterwards, on the
39th day of September, 1752, qualified as a deputy surveyor of
Augusta county; Colonel James Patton, Colonel_Jqhn Buchanan,
Colonel James Wood and Major Charles Campbell, accompanied
by a number of hunters, John Findlay being of the number, ex-
plored Southwest Virginia and East Tennessee, and located and
44 Southwest Virgmia, 17Ji6-17SG.
surveyed ;i miiiil)er of very v;iliial)l(! tracts of land by authority of
the grant to Colonel James Patton.
We give below a list of the first surveys made on the waters of
the Holston and Clinch rivers.
This information i« derived from the surveyor's recorcTs
of Augusta county at Staunton, Va. Each of the above surveys
is signed by Thomas Lewis, surveyor of Augusta county, and in
the left-hand corner of the plot, recorded with each survey, are
w^ritten the letters J. B., the initials of John Buchanan, deputy
snryeyor of the county.
Tt is evident from this rc>eord that John Buchanan surveyed the
rseveral tnicts of land first located in Washington county, and that
he was on the waters of the Indian or Holston river surveying as
early as the 14th day of March, 174(5.
It will be observed from an inspection of this list of surveys
that on April 2, 1750, there was surveyed for Edmund Pendleton
3,000 acres of land lying on AVest creek, a branch of the South
Fork of Indian river, which tract of la,nd now lies in Sullivan
county, 'I'ennessee.
'^^riiis ti'act was patented to Edmund Pendleton in 1756 ujjon the
idea that the Virginia line, Avhen run, Avould embrace these lands.
]t is \\(n-thy of note (hat these early explorers and the many
hunters and traders who had previously visited this section called
the Holston river the Indian river, while the Indians gave it the
name of Hogoheegee, and the French gave it the name of the
Cherokee river.
All of the lands surveyed in this county previously to 1,748 are
described in the surveys as being on the waters of the Indian river.
These explorers returned to their homes delighted, no doubt, with
the excellent lands they had visited, but nothing resulted from their
efforts save the acquisition of a knowledge of the country.
At the time Dr. Walker and his associates made their trip of
exploration above described they were followed as far as New river
by Thomas Inglis and his three sons, Mrs. Draper and her son and
daughter, Adam Harman, Henry Leonard and James Burke, pio-
neers in search of a home in the wilderness. Lands were surveyed
for each of them, which lands are described in the respective sur-
veys as lying on Wood's river, or the waters of Wood's river. Here
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they made a settlement, the first west of the Alleghany divide and
the first on Wood's or New river.
The name given to this new settlement was "Draper's Meadows."
The surveys, with accompanying plats for these, the first set-
tlers on any of the waters flowing into the Mississippi, are exceed-
ingly interesting and instructive.
These first settlers were immediately followed by a large num-
ber of other persons.
The Alleghany mountains having been crossed and the waters
flowing into the Mississippi reached, the pioneer rapidly sought to
bring the wilderness under his dominion. The first company of
settlers at Draper's Meadows were at once increased by new ar-
rivals, and numerous tracts of land west of ISTew river and near
what were afterwards known as the Lead Mines occupied. Among
the early settlers in that section of Southwest Virginia were the
Crocketts, Sayers, Cioyds, McGavocks and McCalls.
James Burke, with his family, settled in 1753 in what has since
been known as Burk's Garden, and Charles Sinclair in Sinclair's
Bottom. Stephen Holston built his cabin within thirty feet of the
head spring of the Middle Fork of Indian, since called Holston
river, some time previous to 174'8, and thus Burke, Sinclair and
Holston gave names to the localities of their early settlements.
A colony of people called "Dunkards" settled on the west side of
New river near Inglis' Ferry, and in the year 1750 Samuel Stal-
naker, with the assistance of Dr. Walker and his associates, erected
his cabin on the Holston nine miles west of Stephen Holston's
cabin.
It is worthy of mention in this place that in this year, 1749,
the commissioners appointed by the Legislatures of Virginia and
North Carolina continued the boundary line between Virginia
and North Carolina to a point on Steep Eock Creek,* in this county.
Dr. Walker and his associates had met Samuel Stalnaker on the
waters of the Holston in April, 1748, between the Eeedy Creek
settlement and the Holston river, at which time it is evident, from
a journal kept by Dr. Walker, that Stalnaker told Walker and his
associates of the Cumberland Gap, and made an engagement with
Dr. Walker to pilot him upon a trip to Kentucky at a subsequent
date.
*Now Laurel Fork of Holston river.
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 47
The French had established settlements on the waters of the
Ohio and Mississippi rivers, and claimed, by right of discovery
and occupancy, as territory belonging to the French crown, all
the lands west of the Alleghany mountains, and were actively as-
serting their right to all of this territory at all times and by every
possible means. It is claimed that the French had established a
fort near the Broad Ford of the Tennessee river, and had opened
and operated mines in the territory now included in Eastern Ken-
tucky; and it is well Icnown that the French traders were to be
found in nearly all of the Indian villages east of the Mississippi
river and west of the Alleghany mountains.
The English Government and the American Colonies denied the
pretensions of the French crown, and looked with jealousy upon
every movement made by France in the direction of the accom-
plishment of her claim.
As a result, on the 12th day of July, 1749, the Governor and
Council of Virginia granted to the "Ohio Company" 500,000 acres
of land, to be surveyed and located south of the Ohio river, and
to forty-six gentlemen, styling themselves the "Loyal Company,"
leave to take up and survey 800,000 acres of land in one or more
surveys, beginning on the bounds between this State and North
Carolina and running to the westward and to the north seas to
include the said quantity, with four years' time to locate said land
and make return of surveys.
The "Ohio Company" employed Christopher Gist, one of the
most noted surveyors of that time, to go, as soon as possible, to the
westward of the Great Mountains, and to carry with him such a
number of men as he thought necessary, in order to search out and
discover the lands upon the river Ohio and other adjoining branches
of the Mississippi, down as low as the Great Falls thereof, now
Louisville, Kentucky.
He was also directed to observe the passes through the mountains,
to take an exact account of the soil and products of the lands, the
width and depth of the rivers, the falls belonging to them, the
course and bearings of the rivers and mountains, and to ascertain
what Indians inhabitated them, with their strength and numbers.
Pursuant to his instructions, he set out from the old town on
the Potomac river, in Maryland, in October, 1750, and spent many
days on the lands south of the Ohio river, in the present State
48 Southwest Virginia, 17^6-1786.
of Kentucky; he finall_y came to the Cumberland mountains at
Pound (lap, at which gap he crossed and passed down Gist's river
to Powell's and Clinch valleys. On Tuesday, the 7tli day of May,
1751, he came to"New river and crossed the same about eight miles
above the mouth of Bluestone river. On Saturday, the 11th, he
came to a very high mountain, upon the top of which was a lake
or pond about three-fourths of a mile long northeast and south-
west, and one-fourth of a mile wide, the water fresh and clear,
its borders a clean gravelly shore about ten yards wide, and a fine
meadow with six fine springs in it.
From this description it is evident that Gist visited Salt Lake
mountain, in Giles county, Va., as early as 1751, and found the
lake as it now is.
It is evident from this journal that the traditions that we
so often hear repeated about this lake are nothing more than mythi-
cal, and that this lake existed as it now is at the time of the earliest
explorations of the white man. Colonel Gist then passed south
about four miles to Sinking Creek and on to the settlements.
In the meantime the "Loyal Companj'^' were not idle, but, hav-
ing employed Dr. Thomas Walker for a certain consideration,
sent him on the 12th day of December, 1749, in company with
Ambrose Powell, William Tomlinson, Henry Lawless and John
Hughes, to the westward in order to discover a proper place for a
settlement. A journal of this trip will be found in the Appendix
to this work, and the reader will find a perusal of this journal ex-
ceedingly interesting, as Dr. Walker and his associates passed di-
rectly through what might reasonably be termed the centre of
Washington county.
It will be necessary, in speaking of this journal of Dr. Walker's,
to call the reader's attention to only a few incidents connected
with the trip, which we will do as briefly as possible.
On March 15, 1750, they came to the "Great Lick," now the
present site of the city of Eoanoke, Va., at which place they
bought corn of Michael Campbell for their horses, at which time
Dr. Walker remarks: "This Lick has been one of the best places
for game in these parts, and M^ould have been of much greater
advantage to the inhabitants than it has been if the hunters had
not killed the buffaloes for diversion and the elks and deer for
their skins,"
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 49
It has been the prevailing opinion that there were no bniialoes
east of the Blue Eidge, and while the Great Lick, or Eoanoke
City, is west of the Blue Eidge, it is altogether probable that buf-
faloes in their range did oftentimes travel beyond the mountains;
at any rate it is known that Colonel Byrd killed buffaloes in 1739
on the boundary line between Virginia and North Carolina and
south of Eoanoke.
They thence went up the Staunton river, now -called the Little
Eoanoke river, to William Inglis'. Dr. Walker, at this point,
notes the fact that William Inglis had a mill which is the fur-
thest back, except one lately built by the sect of people who called
themselves of the Brotherhood of Euphrates, or "Duncards," who
are the upper inhabitants of the New river and lived on the west
side of the same.
It is well to note at this point that the present village of Blacks-
burg is near the locality occupied by William Inglis in 1750. The
Dunkards spoken of by Dr. Walker lived on the west side of New
river opposite Inglis' Ferry, several miles above the crossing of
the Norfolk and Western railroad. Their next stopping point was
on a small run between Peak Creek and Eeed Creek, or between
Pulaski city and Max Meadows of the present day. They next
camped near James McCall's on Eeed Creek, and on the 22d of
March they reached a large spring about five miles below Davis'
Bottom, on the Middle Fork of Holston river, where they camped;
they moved thence down the Middle Fork of Holston, where they
again camped, and Ambrose Powell and Dr. Walker went to look
for Samuel Stalnaker and found his camp, he having just moved out
to settle. They assisted Stalnaker in building his house, and spent
the Sabbath about one-half a mile below him. On Monday, the
36th, they left the frontiers of civilization, Stalnaker's settlement
being the farthest west at that time. Their trip was not eventful
until the 30th, on which day they caught two young buffaloes, and
on the 31st they traveled down the Eeedy creek to the Holston
river at the foot of Long Island, where they measured an elm
tree twenty-five feet in circumference three feet from the ground.
They crossed the North Fork of the Holston about one-half a
mile above the junction of the North and South Fork rivers at
a ford. At this point they discovered evidences of Indians. They
found, in the fork between the North and South Forks of Holston
50 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
river, five Indian houses built with logs and covered with bark,
around which there were an abundance of bones and many pieces
of mats and cloth. On the west side of the North Fork of Hol-
ston river they foimd four Indian houses, and four miles south-
west of the junction of the North and South Forks of Holston
river they discovered an Indian fort on the south side of the main
Holston river.
On April 2d they left the Holston river and traveled in a north-
west direction toward Cumberland Gap, passing over Clinch moun-
tain at Loony's. Gap, it is thought. They reached the Clinch river
above the present location of Sneedsville, in Hancock county, Ten-
nessee, and on the 12th day of April they reached Powell's river,
ten miles from Cumberland Gap. It is well to note at this point
that Ambrose Powell, one of Dr. Walker's companions, cut his
name upon a tree on the bank of this river, which name and tree
were found in the year 1770 by a party of fifteen or twenty Vir-
ginians on their way to Kentucky on a hunting expedition, from
which circumstance the Virginia Long Hunters gave it the name
of Powell's river, which name it still retains. On the 13th they
reached Cumberland Gap, which gap Dr. Walker afterwards named
Cumberland Gap in honor of the Duke of Cumberland, the son
of George II, and the commander of the English forces, on the
16th of April, 1746, at Culloden, where he defeated, with great
slaughter, the Highland forces, refusing quarter to the wounded
prisoners.
On the 17th of April he reached the Cumberland river and
named it at that time. On the 23d a part of this company was
left to build a house and plant some peach stones and corn. On
the 28th Dr. Walker returned to his company and found that
they had built a house 12x8 feet, cleared and broken up some
ground and planted corn and peach stones.
This was the first house built by an Anglo-Saxon in the State
of Kentucky, and it was used and occupied as late as 1835. The
location of this house is on the farm of George M. Faulkner, about
four miles below Barboursville, Ky. They thence traveled in a
northeast direction, crossing Kentucky river and New river and
striking the waters of the Greenbrier, and on the 13th day of
July Dr. Walker reached his home. On this journey they killed
thirteen buffaloes, eight elks, fifty-three bears, twenty deer, four
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 51
wild geese and about a hundred and fifty turkeys, and could have
killed three times as much meat if they had wanted it.
It is to be recollected that this trip and the building of the cabin
in the wilderness of Kentucky was all in the interest of the "Loyal
Company/'
i\.bout this time the "Ohio Company" entered a caveat against
the "Loyal Company," and the Lo3/al Company got into a dispute
with Colonel James Patton, who had an unfinished grant below
where this company were to begin, and no further progress was
made by the company until June 14, 1753.
In the year 1748, Mr. Gray, Mr. Ashford Hughes and others
obtained a grant from the Governor and Council for 10,000 acres
of land lying on the waters of the New river, which grant was
soon afterwards assigned to , Peter Jeiferson (father of Thomas
Jefferson), Dr. Thomas Walker, Thomas Merriweather and David
Merriweather, which lands were surveyed and principally settled
in the early days of the settlement of this section.
About the same time the Governor and the Council of Virginia
granted to John Lewis, of Augusta, and his associates 100,000
acres of land to be located on the Greenbrier river, and thus the
English Government sought to displace the French in their efforts
to settle and hold the lands west of the Alleghany mountains.
On the other hand, the movements of the English were closely
watched by the French, who were equally determined to defeat
them in their aspirations. A company of French soldiers in 1752
were sent south as far as the Miami river to notify the English
traders among the Indians to leave the country, which they re-
fused to do, and thereupon a fight ensued between the French and
Indians, in which fourteen Miami Indians were killed and four
white prisoners were taken, and thus began the contest which re-
sulted in the loss to France of all her possessions in Canada and
east of the Mississippi river.
In April of the year 1749, the house of Adam Harmon, one of
the first settlers near Inglis' Ferry, on New river, was visited by
the Indians, and his fuis and skins stolen.
*This was the first Indian depredation committed on the white
settlers west of the Alleghany mountains.
In the month of November, 1753, the House of Burgesses of
^Dr. Hale's "Trans-Alleghany Pioneers.
52 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
Virginia passed an act for the further encouraging of persons to
settle on the waters of the Mississippi, which act we here copy in
full :
1. Whereas, it will be the means of cultivating a better cor-
respondence with the neighboring Indians if a farther encour-
ageinent be given to persons who have settled on the waters of
the Mississippi, in the county of Augusta; and, whereas, a con-
siderable number of persons, as well his majesty's natural born sub-
jects as foreign Protestants, are willing to come into this Colony
with their families and effects and settle upon the lands near the
said waters in case they can have encouragement for so doing; and,
whereas, the settling of that part of the country will add to the
security and strength of the Colony in general and be a means of
augmenting his majesty's revenue of quit rents ;
2. Be it therefore enacted by the Lieutenant-Governor, Council
and Burgesses of this present General Assembly, and it is hereby
enacted by the authority of the same. That all persons being Prot-
estants who have already settled or shall hereafter settle and reside
on any lands situated to the westward of the ridge of mountains
that divide the rivers Eoanoke, James and Potowmack, from the
Mississippi in the county of Augusta, shall be and are exempted
and discharged from the payment of all public county and parish
levies for the term of fifteen years next following, any law, usage,
or custom to the contrary thereof, in any wise notwithstanding.*
The English Government were exceedingly anxious to encourage
the settlements on the waters of the Mississippi and thereby
strengthen their frontiers and fortify their claim to the lands lying
west of the Alleghany mountains, and, in keeping with this desire,
the Governor and Council of Virginia, on June 14, 1753, renewed
the grant to the "Loyal Company" and allowed them four years'
farther time to complete the surveying and seating of said land, and
on the 6th day of July following Dr. Thomas Walker, their agent,
proceeded with all convenient speed to survey said land and to sell
the same to purchasers at three pounds per hundred acres, exclu-
sive of fees and rights. The basis of the operations of Dr. Walker
was in Southwest Virginia, and by the end of the year 1754 he had
surveyed and sold 224 separate tracts of land containing 45,249
acres, which surveys were made in the name of the several pur-
*Hen. S., p. 356. ,
Southwest Virginia, 171^6-1786. 53
chasers from him, and many of the said tracts of land were actually
occupied by settlers.
During this time James Patton was actively at work surveying
and selling lands to settlers under his grant from the Governor and
Council, and the tide of emigration was fast settling towards South-
west Virginia, when the French-Indian war of 1754-1763 came on,
which war began in all its fury about this time, and thereby Dr.
Walker, agent for the "Loyal Company," and James Patton and
others were prevented, for the time being, from further prosecuting
their enterprises in surveying and settling this portion of Virginia.
In the spring of 1754, numbers of families were obliged, by an
Indian invasion, to remove from their settlements in Southwest
Virginia, and these removals continued during the entire war. It
will be well here to note the fact that the lands held by Stephen
Holston, James ]\IcCall, Charles Sinclair and James Burke, the
earlier settlers of this portion of Virginia, were held by them under
what were known at that time as "corn rights — that is, under the
law as it then stood, each settler acquired title to a hundred acres
for every acre planted by him in corn, but subsequent settlers, as
a general rule, held their lands under one of the above-mentioned
grants. Stephen Holston, who settled at the head spring of the
Middle Fork of Holston some time prior to 1748, did not remain
long at this place, but sold his right to James Davis, who, on the
19th of March, 1748, had John Buchanan, deputy surveyor of
Augusta county, to survey for him at this point a tract of land con-
taining 1,300 acres, to which he gave the name of "Davis' Fancy,"
and the descendants of James Davis occupy a portion of this land
to this day.
Stephen Holston, when he had disposed of his rights to Davis,
constructed canoes, passed down the Holston, Tennessee and Mis-
sissippi rivers to Natchez, Mississippi, and thence returned to Vir-
ginia, and settled in Culpeper county, where he lived in 1754; af-
terwards, in 1757, he was captured by the Indians, but, making
his escape, he returned to the waters of the Holston, and served
under Colonel Christian upon the expedition to Point Pleasant in
1774, and in the expedition against the Cherokees in 1776. Many
of his descendants are to be found in East Tennessee at this time.
At the beginning of the year 1753 two families resided on Back
creek; James Eeed, at Dublin, Va. (from whom Eeed creek de-
54 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
rived its name); two families on Cripple creek; James Burk, in
Burk's Garden; Joseph and Esther Crockett, at the head waters
of the South Fork of Holston river; James Davis, at the head
waters of the Middle Fork of Holston river, and a family of Dimk-
ards, by the name of McCorkle, on the west bank of New river
near Inglis' Ferry. Of these facts we have record evidence.
Many other families resided west of New river, of whom we have
no record.
And thus closes the record of the first efforts made to explore
and settle Southwest Virginia by the white man.
Southwest Virginia, 1746-17S6. 55
CHAPTEE IV.
Southwest Virginia.
1754-1770. Thus matters stood at the beginning of the year
1754. Governor Dinwiddie, in this year, dispatched George Wash-
ington on a mission to the French commander on the Ohio.
Washington, accompanied by Christopher Gist, arrived at the
French headquarters, which were situated near the present city
of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, where he delivered the dispatches
from Governor Dinwiddie, informing the French commander that
war was inevitable unless he immediately withdrew from the coun-
try.
The French commander denied the right of Governor Dinwiddie
to give him orders in the premises, and declared his purpose to
destroy every settlement made by the Virginians in the west.
To form some idea of the spirit of the American colonies in re-
gard to the French settlements on the Ohio and their apprehen-
sions therefrom. Governor Dinwiddie wrote to Earl Granville, in
1754, that the French intended to build forts, not only on the Ohio,
but on Greenbrier, Holston and New rivers, and the French and
Indians, he says, are now making incursions among our inhabi-
tants in Augusta coimty, driving them from their homes.
Washington returned to Williamsburg and reported the result
of his trip, whereupon the Governor of Virginia proceeded to raise
a regiment under Colonel Joshua Fry and Lieutenant- Colonel
George Washington. This regiment immediately proceeded to the
west, and at Eedstone, Western Pennsylvania, they encountered
a force, composed of Indians and French, which they attacked, kill-
ing ten and capturing the rest.
They proceeded to the Great Meadows, halted, and built a fort,
to which they gave the name of "Fort Necessity." On the 3d day
of July, 1754, a force of French and Indians, numbering about a
thousand, under the command of Count de Villiers, vigorously
assaulted the fort and attempted to take it. The siege lasted for
nine hours, at the end of which time the French leader sent in a
flag of truce offering to receive the surrender of the fort upon hon-
5G Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
orable terms, wliicli offer was accepted, and the Virginians marched
out next morning.
In the spring of 1755, the American colonies attacked the French
at Nova Scotia, Crown Point, Niagara and on the Ohio river.
The attack on the French and Indians on the Ohio was com-
manded by General Braddock, who had arrived from England
early in tliat year with two royal regiments — the Eighteenth and
Forty-fourth. Virginia sent 800 men to join Braddock, and the
Virginia troops were commanded by Captains Waggoner, Cock,
Hogg, Stevens, Poulson, Perrony, Mercer and Stewart. Brad-
dock marched from Alexandria, Virginia, on the 30th of April,
1755, with 2,200 men, and on the 9th of July he reached the
Monongahela river, where his troops fell into an ambuscade.
Braddock was mortally wounded, and his army put to flight, with
a loss of 777 men killed and wounded, and had it not been for the
coolness and courage of Washington and his Virginia troops the
entire army would have been destroyed.
The army retreated a himdred and twenty miles into the set-
tlement, and the whole frontier of Western Virginia was thus left
open to the ravages of the French and Indians. The French and
Indians crossed the Alleghany mountains into the valley and to
New river, killing and scalping, in the most horrible manner,
men, women, and children without distinction, and thus ended
the first year of the war.
On the 21st day of March, 1755, the County Court of Augusta
county appointed George Stalnaker constable on the waters of the
Holston and New rivers, and he built a stockade fort at Dunk-
ards' Bottom, the name of which was, according to some writers.
Fort Frederick, but there is some doubt about it.
In the month of February, 1755, William Wright, an ensign,
who was stationed at Fort Lewis, near Salem, Virginia, by Major
Andrew Lewis, accompanied by twenty men, marched to the head
waters of the Holston river for the purpose of protecting the set-
tlers, but his movements were so slow that he failed to accomplish
anything, and, upon his return, he was reprimanded by the Gov-
ernor of Virginia.
The New river settlers were not permitted to escape the ravages
of the Indians and the French, for on the 8th day of July, 1755,
the day before Braddock's defeat, a considerable party of Shaw-
Southwest Virginia, 17JfG-1786. 57
nese Indians fell upon this settlement and wiped it out of exist-
ence. Colonel James Patton, Casper Barrier, Mrs. George Draper
and a child of John Draper were killed. Mrs. William Inglis and
her two children, Mrs. John Draper and Henry Leonard were taken
prisoners. Mrs. Inglis was taken to Ohio, thence to Bone Lick,
Kentucky, whence she and an old Dutch woman made their es-
cape, and, after many days, returned to her home on New river.
This invasion occurred on Sunday, the 8th day of July, 1755.
Colonel Patton, accompanied by William Preston, was on a visit
to the New river settlement, and was detained by sickness at the
house of William Inglish. William Preston, William Inglis and
John Draper were away from the house at the time. Mrs. John
Draper, who first discovered the Indians, ran to the house, secured
her infant child, and attempted to make her escape by the opposite
side of the house, but she was detected by the Indians, and, having
one of her arms broken, the child fell to the ground. She then
took the child in the other arm and continued her flight, but was
soon overtaken, the child taken from her, and its brains dashed
out upon a log by the Indians. Colonel Patton, at the time of the
attack, was seated at a table writing, with his broad sword beside
him. He immediately arose, and killed two of the Indians be-
fore he was shot by others beyond his reach.
The Indians then plundered the premises and began a hasty re-
treat.
On their retreat they passed the house of an old man by the
name of Philip Barger, whom they killed by severing his head
from his body, and carried it off in a bag. It was several days
before efforts were made to overtake the enemy and rescue the
prisoners, as Vause's Fort was the nearest point from which help
could be obtained.
Mrs. Inglis and the other prisoners were carried by the Indians
to Ohio. Mrs. Inglis was al)sent from her home about five months,
when, in the month of December, 1755, she reached the house of
Adam Harmon on New river, whence she was taken to a small fort
at Dunkards' Bottom, on the west side of New river, where she was
found on the next day by her husband and her brother. The other
captives, with but few exceptions, were either rescued or redeemed
and returned to their homes after many years.
The body of Colonel James Patton was buried at Draper's
58 Southivcst Virginia, 1746-17S6.
Meadows. Colonel John Buchanan sent a company of men to
pursue the Indians, but they did not succeed in overtaking them,
and thus occurred the first Indian massacre of the white inhabitants
of Southwest Virginia.
About ten miles west of where Christiansburg now stands, and
near the former residence of Captain Jacob Kent, about two and
a half miles east of Lafayette and on the head waters of the Eoa-
noke river, there stood a small fort that in those days was known
as Vause's Fort, and this was the nearest place of refuge for the
settlers on New river.
In the fall of the year 1755, about a hundred French and Indians
came upon the ISTew river, and assaulted and captured this fort
and killed or carried into capti\ity twenty-four persons, not a
single person escaping. This was a private fort, constructed by
the settlers for their own protection, and was built of logs and
easily captured.
As best I can ascertain, at the time of this invasion James
Burk, who had settled in Burk's Garden in the year 1753, was
captured with his entire family; they were all either killed or car-
ried into captivity.
A register of the persons who were killed, wounded, and taken
prisoners in the 3'ears 1754, 1755, and 1756 on the New river,
Eeed creek, and Holston rivers has been preserved, and is as fol-
lows:
1754, Stephen Lyon, Holston Eiver, killed.
October. John Godman, Holston Eiver, killed.
Benjamin Harrison, Holston Eiver, killed.
1755, Burk, Holston Eiver, prisoner; escaped.
]\Iay 3. Mary Baker, Holston Eiver, wounded.
June 18. Samuel Stalnaker, Holston, Eiver, prisoner; escaped.
Samuel Hydon, Holston Eiver, prisoner.
Adam Stalnaker, Holston Eiver, killed.
Mrs. Stalnaker, Holston Eiver, killed.
A servant man, Holston Eiver, killed.
Mathias Connie, Holston Eiver, killed.
June 19. Michael Houck, Holston Eiver, killed.
July 3. James McFarland, New Elver, killed.
John Bingeman, New Elver, killed.
Mrs. Bingeman, New Eiver, killed.
Southtvest Virginm, 17Jf6-17S6. 59
Adam Bingeman, New River, killed.
John Cook. New Eiver, killed.
Henry Lin, New River, killed.
A young child, New River, killed.
Nathaniel Welshire, New River, wounded.
Dutch Jacob, New River, wounded.
His wife, New River, prisoner ; escaped.
Frederick Stern, New River, wounded.
Mrs. Bingeman, Jr., New River, wounded.
Mrs. Davis, New River, wounded.
Isaac Freeland, his wife and five children. New River ;
prisoners.
Bridgeman's son and daughter and a stranger, New
River; prisoners.
July 12. ^Lieutenant Wright and two soldiers, Reed Creek, killed.
30. \ Colonel James Patton, Now River, killed, t--—
Caspar Barrier, New River, killed.
Mrs. Draper and one child. New River, killed.
James Cull, New River, woimded.
Mrs. English (Inglis) and her two children. New River,
prisoners; escaped.
Mrs. Draper, Jr., New River, prisoner.
Henry Leonard, New River, prisoner.
Morris Griffith, Vause's Fort, prisoner ; escaped.
Robert Looney and a Dutchman, Reed Creek, killed.
John Lee, Reed Creek, killed.
Michael Motes, Reed Creek, killed.
Patrick Smith, Reed Creek, killed.
Moses Mann, Reed Creek, prisoner.
^Valentine Harman and one son, New River, killed.
Andrew Moses, New River, killed.
25. Captain John Smith, Fort Yause, prisoner ; escaped.
Peter Looney, Fort Vause, prisoner ; escaped.
William Bratton, Fort Vause, prisoner; escaped.
Joseph Smith, Fort Vause, prisoner.
William Pepper, Fort Vause, prisoner.
Mrs. Vause and two daughters, a negro, and two young
Indians and a servant man. Fort Vause, prisoners.
Ivan Medley, and two daughters. Fort Vause, prisoners.
60 Soutliicest Virginia, I7J16-I786.
James Bell, Fort Vause, prisoner.
Christoj^her Hicks, Fort Vause, prisoner.
Cole, Fort Vanse, prisoner.
Graham, Fort Vause, prisoner.
Benj. Daries, Fort Vause, prisoner.
Lieut. Jolin Smith, Fort Vause, killed.
John Tracey, Fort Vause, killed.
John English, killed.
Mrs. Mary English, Fort Vause, prisoner.
Wm. Eobinson, Fort Vause, wounded.
Thomas Eobinson, Fort Vause, wounded.
Samuel Eobinson, Fort Vause, wounded.
Eobert Pepper, Fort Vause, wounded.
John Eobinson, Fort Vause, killed.
1757. John Walker, Fort Vause, prisoner."*
Feb.
In Jul}^ of this year, Eichard Pearls, who was located on the Hols-
ton river carrying on a trade with the Cherokee Indians, addressed a
letter to the Governor of Virginia requesting a grant for the lands
on the Long Island in the South Fork of the Holston river. In
reply the Governor encouraged Pearis to believe that he could olitain
a grant, and wrote him as follows : "I am surprised the inhabitants
on Llolston river should submit to be robbed by a few Indians. Let
the Chickasaw know that I greatly approve of his conduct and have
a real esteem for him." This last sentence in the Governor's letter
had reference to a Chickasaw warrior who had resented the murder
of one of the white settlers.
At the time of which we write the Virginia colonists, and the
Cherokee and the Chickasaw Indians were exceedingly friendly, and
through the agency of Eichard Pearis, who was a great favorite with
the Indians, the Govern(Nr of Virginia subsequently sought to en-
list the Cherokee and the Chickasaw Indians in the war against the
French and the Northern Indians.
SANDY RIVER EXPEDITION.
For the purpose of avenging the massacre of the settlers upon the
ISTew river, the Governor of Virginia enlisted a hundred and thirty
Cherokee Indians, to whom were joined four companies of the Eang-
*Col. Wm. Preston diary in L. C. Draper Manuiseript.
Southivest Virginia, 17Jf6-1786. 61
ers of West Augusta, for the purpose of invading and destroying the
Shawnese towns at the mouth of the Big Sandy and on the Ohio
river. The command of this expedition was given to Major Andrew
Lewis.
This force consisted of two hundred and sixty-three white meh,
commanded by Captain Peter Hogg, with forty men; Captain
William Preston, with thirty men; Captain John fSmith, with
thirty men; Captain Samuel Overton, with forty men; Captain
Obadiah Woodson, with forty men; Captains Robert Breckenridge,
Archibald x\lexander, John Montgomery and Dunlap
commanding eighty-three volunteers, and Captain Richard Pearls
commanding a hundred and thirty Cherokee and Chickasaw In-
dians.
This force was rendezvoused at Fort Lewis, near Salem, Va.,
whence they marched in Feb. 1756, for the Indian towns. They
traveled from Fort Lewis, near Salem, to the New river, which they
crossed at the Horseshoe Bend; they thence descended the New
river to the mouth of Wolf creek, thence up Wolf creek to its
source, thence to Bluestone river, thence to the head of North Fork
of Sandy, which they reached on the 28th day of February, 1756 ;
thence down the Sandy to the Great Burning Springs, at which point
they saw the rawhides of several buffaloes hung upon bushes to dry.
At this time provisions became very scarce and a famine was threat-
ened, but this little army was saved by the bravery and firmness of
Major Lewis.
The army then proceeded from the Burning Springs to the banks
of the Ohio, where they remained for two days. Seeing no evidences
of Indians, they began to retrace their steps, and by the time they
had reached the Burning Springs on their return, the hunger of the
men had become so great that the hides of the buffaloes, which had
been hung upon the bushes, were cut into tugs, and the men de-
voured them as the only means of preserving life. It is said that
from this circumstance the Tug Fork of Sandy river received its
name. Thus this expedition ended disastrously for the settlers.
The Indians were correspondingly elated and immediately ad-
vanced upon the settlements east of the Alleghany mountains, com-
mitting many murders and carrying off many prisoners.
The Governor and Council of Virginia agreed to build a number
of forts for the protection of the western settlements, and, among
62 Southwest Virginm, 1746-1786. '-
the number. Fort Vausc, wliicli ]\a(l been destroyed by the Indians
a short time previous. The building of tlie fort was to be under the
supervision of Captain Peter Hogg, and was to be at least one hun-
dred feet square in the clear, with stockades at least sixteen feet long,
and was to be garrisoned by seventy men. Immediately upon the
erection of this new fort, many of the settlers returned to their
homes at and near the fort. About this time companies of Rangers
were organized for the purpose of running down and capturing .
marauding Shawnese Indians wherever they should be found. A
journal of one of these expeditions has been preserved, which we
here publish as a relic of the past.
An extract of a Journal "Concerning a march that Capt. Eobert
Wade took to the New River" in search of Indians, Saturday, 12th
of August, 1758 :
Capt. Robert Wade marc't from Mayo fort, with 35 men, in
order to take a Range to the New River in search of our Enemy In-
dians. We marcht about three miles that Day to a Plantation,
Where Peter Rentfro formerly Lived and took up Camp, where we
continued safe that night — Next morning being Sunday, we con-
tinued to march about three or four miles, and one Francis New
returned back to the Fort, then we had 34 men besides the Capt —
We marcht along to a place called Gobeling Town, where we Eat
our Brakefast — & so continued our march till late in the after-
noon, and took up Camp at the Foot of the Blew Ledge where we
continued safe that night— Next morning being Monday, the 14th,
Inst, we started early and crossed the Blew Ledge and Fell upon
a branch of the Little River, called Pine Creek,
We followed the sd : Creek down to Little River, and crost the
Little River & went to Francis Easons' Plantation where we con-
tinued that night. Our hunters brought a plentiful supply of Ven-
ison— Next morning being tuesday the 15 Inst, we marct. down to
Richard Rattlecliffs' plantation on the Meadow Creek, where we
continued that night — Next morning being Wednesday the 16th.
Inst, we Sent our Spyes and hunters to Spy for Enemy Signs, & to
hunt for provisions. But the body of the Company Tarryed there —
At Night they came in with a plenty of Venison, but could not dis-
cover any fresh sign of the Enemy — Next morning Thursday the
17th Inst, we sent out hunters as usual, & in the afternoon some
of them came in & informed us that they had seen signs of Indians
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 63
at Drapers' Meadow, that had been a catching of horses that Day,
and that they had gone a straight course for Blackwater — upon
that we began to get in Eeadyness to persue them next morning —
but one of our men not coming in that night disappointed us —
next morning Being Fryday the 18th. Inst. Some of the men were
sent to Look for the man that was Lost — & the Eest remained there,
for we counted it imprudent to Leave the Place before we knew
what had become of the lost man — so we tarryed Till the Day was
so far Spent that we could not make anything of a march that Day.
So the Capt. said that he and some more men would go to view the
sign, and See what they could Discover. The Capt. and Wm. Hall
and Adam Hermon, and two or three more went off & Left the men
under my Command and ordered that we should be in Eeadyness for
a march as soon as he returned — Soon after the Captain was Gone,
the man that was Lost Came in & Informed us that he had been lost
in a Creek of the Little Eiver — But when the Captain came to the
place where the sign was Seen, he Tels us that he saw a Shoe track
among them, which caused them to believe that it had been white
men after their horses — So the Captain nor none of the men, that
was with him returned that night, But went a hunting — Next
morning being Saturday 19th Inst, the Captain not coming gave
us a great deal of Uneasyness — tho we Bore it with so much pa-
tience as we could 'till about noon, for we lay under great appre-
hensions of Danger — I ordered the men to keep a Verry Sharp Look
out, and Likewise to be in order to march next morning, by Sun
Rise, — I was Determined to stay that night & if the Capt: did not
come, to march off after him — Soon after we had come to a con-
clusion about it Some of the men Spyed five Indians Very near to
us, for the place where we was, was grown up with weeds so that we
could not Se them, nor they see us 'till thay came Verry near us — I
was a Lying down in the house when I heard the news — I Eased up
and presented my Gun at one of the Indians, But I heard some of
our Company that was in another house, Cry out. Don't Shoot —
I Stopt at that and askt them what they were & I beleive they said
Cheroke, but Stood in amaise, & Eeason they had, for I suppose
there was 20 Guns presented at them, we went up to them &
Examined them— they said they were Cherokees, I made signs to
them to show me their Pass, But they had none, — They had with
them 5 head 6t horse Kind & Skelps, that appeared to be white
64 Southwest Virginia, 17J,6-1786.
mens — 4 of the horses appeared as tho' they had heen Lately taken
lip, hilt the other was very poor — The Indians began to make ready
to go off, hut I made Signs to them that they must not Go that
uight. But they seemed very intent to go — but we would not agree to
it — Some of the Company insisted to fall upon them and Kill them,
for they said they believed they were Shawnees, & that they were
Spyes- — and was doubtful that they had a superior number Some
where nigh — But I said I was determined to keep them till the Capt :
came, without they would go by forse, and if they would we would
fire upon them — 2 of the men went off after the Capt : who soon met
some of the Company, who told them that they had been hunting
& that the Capt: would soon be in; who accordingly came soon after
.^i we informed him how things had happened in his absence & in
wdia^ manner the Indians appeared; that they had no pass and that
they had white Skelps — After Capt : heard the opinion of the peo-
ple, he past sentence of Death upon tliem ; but there was one Abra-
ham Dunkleberry, hunter that we let off who said they were Chero-
kees, yet he agreed that they were Eogues ; which seemed to put the
Capt: to a stand, but we had their Guns taken from them & a guard
kept over them that night — next morning Being Sunday 20th Inst,
upon what Dunkleberry had said the Capt : let them have their Guns
& let them go off — which displeased some of the Carolina men — so
much that they swore if they were not allowed to kill them, they
would never go Banging again, for they said it was to no purpose
to Rang after the Enemy, & when they liad found them, not to be
allowed to kill them — which you must think is very hard for us to
be compel to Bang & then let the Enemy have Liberty to Kill some
of us, before we Dare to Kill them — at that Bate we may all be
Kill'd, and never Kill an Indian, for if there is enough of them to
overcome us, then they are Eneni}^, But if we are too numerous for
them they are friends.
Upon consideration of their having no pass, nor white man, & by
reason of their steal of horses, they did not appear any waise Like
friends, so the Captain told them to be Easy, and after Dunkleberry
was gone, wo would go after them and Kill them. So Dimkleberry
packt up his skins to go off & we marcht after the Indians — we
overtook them and past them, Because the Capt: said they were
in such order that we could not kill them all, but would wate for a
better opportunity — They were going toward the New River — so the
Southwest Virginia, 171^6-1180. 65
men that had been acquainted Knew of 2 fords & they Emagined
they would cross at the upper ford — But we lade an Ambuslikaide
at each ford, the Capt : & myself and a partie of men at the upper
ford, and a partie of men at the Loer ford & the Capts : orders were
to fire at them as they Crost the Eiver — But after we had placed our-
selves and sat awhile 3 or 3 of the men came from the Loer Ford &
informed us that two of the Indians had Crost at the Loer ford, and
they did not fire at them because they were not altogether. So the
Capt. and the men went towards the Loer Ford & as we went along
we saw 4 of the Indians; we did not fire at them; the Capt: con-
cluded to ly by awhile and let them all get together & then follow
them and kill them — soon after the other Indians followed them,
the (*apts : orders was for 13 of the best men to follow them and
Kill them and the remainder of the Company to go to the Dunker
Fort which was about half a mile below us & the Capt: took such
men as he Lik'd and set clown to conclude how we should follow
them — the way the Capt proposed was to Dog them till night and
then ly By till the Brake of Day and then Fall upon them and Kill
them — he said if we fired upon them in tha day, some would get
away — but we did not approve of his skeems, and told him the 111
Consequence that attended it, but he still insisted upon that way of
proceeding — ^At length we desired him to go down to the fort with
the rest of the. men, & let us go after the Indians, to which he con-
sented, and went off to the fort and we after the Indians —
The men that followed them Arere Adam hermon, Daniel Her-
mon, Wm. Hall, Eic'd Hall, Jun'r, Tobias Clapp, Philip Clap,
Joseph Clapp, Benj. Angel, David Currie, Eic'd Hines, James Lyon
& my self — 13 of us — We followed them and overtook them at a
peach orchard — jest as they were leaving it, we watched our oppor-
tunity, and fired at them and followed them up till we Killed 4 of
them, and wounded the other — we Skelpt them that we killed, &
then followed the other — he bled verry much, he went into the
river and to an Island — but we could not find where he went out —
some of the men left looking for him, and some went after the
Indian horse— but myself and 4 or 5 more, we Sercht the Island
till late in the afternoon, & when we came to the Fort the Capt. and
men were a handling the Indians' goods & after a while the Capt:
told me we were all to be sworn — so we Tarried there that night-
Next morning being Monday 21st Inst, we packed up in order to
&6 South irest Virginia, 17J,G-1786.
march liomeward, for signs of Indians was i:)lenty & we had bi;t lit-
tle amimition bnt before we left the fort, we were Sworn — the words
of the oath Do not remember exactly, but the Intent of the thing
was not to tell that we ever heard them say that they were Chero-
kees without required to swere — so left the fort and marcht till dark
& took up Camp at a Plantation upon a Branch of the Little Elver.
We continued there that night — next morning, being Tuesday the
23nd inst. we marcht from that place to Blackwater — we eat din-
ner with them marcht off again Rob Joneses Plantation on the head
of Pig Eiver, and Tarryed tliere that night, next morning being
Wednesday 23d. inst. they delayed time in the morning, and we had
nothing to eat, the Company had some rum to drink, but myself
and four more left the Company and went across to Goblingtown
& came to Mayo Fort^that night — the Captain and the Rest of the
men tells us that they came to Ilickey's fort and that night and
next day to Mayo fort — I remember no more worth making a remark
of so Courteous Reader I Rem'n
Yrs. &., John Echols.
Captain Wm. Preston and Captain Wm. Byrd each organized a
company of Rangers. A number of the men that enlisted under
them afterwards settled in Washington county and their names were
as follows:
Capt. Wm. Preston s Co. Capt. Wm. Byrd's Co.
Wm. Johnston, Michal Morrison, Sergt.,
Benj. Estill, John Crank,
George Martin, Thomas Brumley,
John Johnston, John Donnelly, Fifer,
Jas. Clendenen, Richard Staunton, Sergt.,
John Vance, John Lemons,
Solomon Kendrick, Richard Chapman,
Christopher Aekland, Francis Farmer,
Robert Rutherford. Henry Dooley,
Drury Puckett, Sergt.,
John Ross.
On the 29th of July, 175G, a Council of War assembled at Staun-
ton, by direction of the Governor of Virginia, to determine at what
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 67
points forts should be built along the frontier for the protection of
the settlers.
The Council was composed of Col. John Buchanan, Samuel Stal-
naker and others, of which Council Wm. Preston acted as clerk.
There can be no doubt that Captain Samuel Stalnaker represented
the Holston settlement and that it was at his request that the
stockade fort was built at Dunkards' Bottom, on New river, and at
Davis' Bottom, at the head waters of the Middle Fork of Holston
river.
In the year 1757, Dickenson's Fort, situated on the Cow Pasture
river, in Augusta county, was raided by the Indians, and several chil-
dren, playing under the walls outside the fort, and a number of men
were captured. So careless were the commanding oflBcers that the
Indians reached the very gates of the fort before they were discov-
ered. At the time of this raid upon Dickenson's Fort, the Indians
captured a boy who was destined in after years to play such a part
in the history of Washington county as would justly entitle him to
the appellation of "Father of Washington County," so intelligent
and active were his efforts in the settling of our county and in the
protection of its earlier inhabitants ; and this boy was Arthur Camp-
bell, who had volunteered as a militiaman for the protection of the
frontiers. On the day of the raid he, with others, had gone to a
thicket near by in search of plums, when the party was fired upon
from ambush by Indians, and Campbell was wounded and cap-
tured. He was carried by the Indians to Ohio and thence to the
Lakes, where he was detained for a number of years, when he suc-
ceeded in making his escape to an English force and returned to his
home. Upon his return he addressed a letter to the Governor of
Virginia, detailing the circumstances of his capture and detention,
and thereby made such an impression upon the Governor that he
was afterwards granted a thousand acres of land in consideration of
his services.
Governor Dinwiddie was so much in earnest about enlisting the
Cherokee and other Southern Indians in the war against the French
and Northern Indians, that, in the year 1756, he dispatched the
Hon. Peter Randolph and Wm. Byrd to their country as commis-
sioners, to negotiate formal treaties with them. The commissioners
returned to Williamsburg and, either before or at that time, a treaty
was made with the Indians, by which it was stipulated that the
C8 Southwest Virginia, 17Jf6-1780.
Indians were to send reinforcements to aid tlie Colonies, in consid-
eration of the agreement of the Government to build a fort in their
country. On the 24th day of April the Governor directed Major
Andrew Lewis to enlist, sixty men who could use the saw and axe,
and to proceed to the Cherokee country with all speed and erect a
fort as agreed upon. ]\Iajor Lewis did not start for the Indian
country until June of that year, and on the 20th day of August,
wrote the Governor that he might expect a reinforcement of a hun-
dred and fifty Cherokees and fifty Catawba Indians at an early date.
Major Lewis, with his force, passed down the waters of the Hols-
ton to the southern bank of the Tennessee river, at the head of navi-
gation, about thirty miles from the present city of Knoxville. He
there built a fort, which ]:e called Fort Loudon, in honor of the
Governor of Virginia. In September of that year, Major Lewis
addressed another letter to the Governor of Virginia, in which he
stated that the Indians were very much pleased with their fort, and
that the Governor might expect a reinforcement of four hundred
Indians. This letter also contained a request from the Indians
that the Governor would send a small garrison of white men to hold
the fort during the absence of their warriors. By the 18th day of
September, 1756, Captain Samuel Overton and his men, who had
accompanied Major Lewis, had returned to their homes, leaving
Major Lewis in the Indian country to bring in the reinforcements.
In the fall of that year Major Lewis returned from the Chero-
kee country, accompanied by seven warriors and three women, great-
ly to the surprise of the Governor. The French in the meantime
had bought off the Indians.
Fort Loudon was then estimated to be more than a hundred miles
from (lie nearest settlement, was at a place at all times difficult to
rjach, even in times of peace, and beyond the reach of help from
the settlements in the event of war with the Cherokee Indians. This
fort was by order of the Earl of Loudon, then Governor of Virginia,
garrisoned by two hundred troops from Britain.
The Indians allured artisans into Fort Loudon by donations of
land, which they caused to be signed by their own chief and^bv
Governor Dobbs of North Carolina. There was a rapid increase of
the number of settlers, as a result, at and in the vicinity of Fort
London.
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 69
In the year 1756 the New River Lead Mines were discovered by
Col. John Chiswell, at which time operations were begun.
Coh Chiswell had been engaged in mining operations near Fred-
ericksburg, Va., for some time previous to this time, and was an
intimate friend of Col. Wm Byrd.
Abont this time the lead mines were discovered, and four hun-
dred acres of land, including the mines, were surveyed on October
1st, 3 781, and a patent was issued to Chas. Lynch, trustee for the
lead mine company, by Beverly Randolph, Governor of Virginia, on
the 7th day of May, 1791, in consideration of £3 10s. sterling, paid
by Chas. Lynch, and of pre-emption Treasury warrants Nos. 2393
and 2356. As far as I can ascertain this property was owned orig-
inally by Col. Wm. Byrd, Col. John Chiswell and John Robinson,
afterwards Treasurer of Virginia. Col. John Chiswell, some time
pi-evious to 1775, killed a man in Cumberland county, Virginia, and
while awaiting trial he committed suicide.*
At the beginning of the Revolutionary War, the Legislature of
Virginia directed the Committee of Safety for Fincastle county to
lease these mines, at a reasonable rent, and if they could not lease
them, to impress them for fthe use of the State. The committee,
acting according to their authority, took possession of the lead mines,
whether by lease or by impressment I cannot say, anc" the State of
Virginia, through her agents, Chas. Lynch and Capt. Calloway,
operated these mines during the Revolutionary War, and paid rent
therefor to the representatives of John Robinson and Wm. Byrd,
and to John Chiswell, the son of Col. John Chiswell.
A considerable village had grown up around Fort Loudon by the
year 1760.
British arms were successful at every point in the contest with the
French and Indians in 1758-1760. Canada was conquered and the
French expelled from it in 1759, and Fort Du Quesne was cap-
turned by General Forbes and the French expelled from the Ohio
Valley.
The result of the expulsion of the French from Canada and the
Ohio Valley proved very disastrous to the western settlements of the
Southern Colonies. "The scene of action was only changed from
*Ninth Henning's Statutes, pages 73-237.
t Vol. 14 Call's Rep., page 17.
t 2 H. & M. Rep., page 22.
70 Southwest Virginia, 171^6-1786.
one place to another, and the baneful influence of those active and
enterprising enemies that had descended the Ohio soon manifested
itself in a more concentrated form among the upper Cherokees, the
interior position of whose country furnished facilities of immediate
and frequent intercourse with the defeated and exasperated French-
men, who now ascended the Tennessee river and penetrated to their
mountain fastnesses. An unfortunate quarrel with the Virginians
helped to forward their intrigues and opened an easier access into
the towns of the savages. The Cherokees, as before remarked, had,
agreeably to their treaties, sent a number of their warriors to assist
in the reduction of Du Quesne. Eeturning home through the back
parts of Virginia, some of them, who had lost their horses on this
expedition, laid hold on such as they found running at large and
appropriated them. The Virginians resented the injury by killing
twelve or fourteen of the unsuspecting warriors and taking several
more prisoners. This ungrateful conduct from allies, whose fron-
tiers they had defended and recovered, aroused at once a spirit of
deep resentment and deadly retaliation The
flame soon spread through the upper towns. The garrison at Fort
Loudon, consisting of about two hundred men under the command
of Captains Demere and Stuart, was, from its remote position from
the white settlements, the first to notice the disaffection and to suffer
from it. The soldiers, as usual, making excursions into the woods
to procure fresh provisions, were attacked by them and some of them
killed. From this time such dangers threatened the garrison that
every one was confined within the small boundary of the fort." . .
"All communication with the settlements
across the mountains from which they received supplies was cut off,
and the soldiers, having no other sources from which provision could
be procured, had no prospect left them but famine or death. Par-
ties of the young warriors rushed down upon the frontier settle-
ments, and the work of massacre became general along the borders
of Virginia and North Carolina."*
The Governor of North Carolina undertook to pacify the Indians,
and negotiated a treaty with six of their head men, but this treaty
did not express the sentiments of the Indians and they paid no
attention to it.
Numerous companies of Eangers were organized to patrol the
*Haywood.
Southwest Virginia, 17^6-1786. 71
frontiers and punish the Indians for any depredations they might
commit, and every means was exhausted to bring about peace, but
the Indians were nOt disposed to listen to any terms of accommo-
dation and continued their depredations wherever and whenever
possible.
The Crovernor of Virginia directed Col. William Byrd to proceed
to Fort Loudon with a body of backwoodsmen froiu Virginia, num-
bering al>out six hundred men, and to relieve the garrison. Col.
Byrd organized his force and began the march, but was greatly
liampered by lack of men and supplies.
JSFotwithstanding the fact that Col. Byrd was an experienced cam-
paigner, he occupied most of his time in building block-houses and
roads, and accomplished nothing in the way of relieving Fort Lou-
don.
He crossed Kew river to the lead mines and immediately pro-
ceeded to build a fort about two miles south of the present site of
Max Meadows on the McAdam road near the home of James Mc-
Gavock, to which he gave the name of Fort Chiswell, in honor of
his friend. Col. John Chiswell, who was at that time working the
lead mines which had been discovered some time previously.
From Fort Chiswell Col. Byrd marched to the Long Island in the
South Fork of Holston river, opening a road from Fort I'hiswell to
Long Island.
At this point. Col. Byrd and his men spent the winter of 1760.
During the winter Col. Byrd erected a fort upon a beautiful level on
the north bank of the South Fork of the Holston river, nearly oppo-
site the upper end of Long Island, to which fort he gave the name
of Fort Robinson, in honor of John Eobinson, the partner of him-
self and Col. John Chiswell in the ownership of tlie lead mines.
This fort was built upon an extensive plan. The walls were suffi-
cient in thickness to^ withstand the force of a small cannon shot.
There were proper bastions, and the gates were spiked with large
nails so that the wood was entirely covered.*
At the time this fort was built, it was supposed that the Long
Island was in Virginia, the boundary line between Virginia and
North Carolina not having been run farther west than Steep Rock.
And thus to Virginians may be assigned the lionor of having
*Fort Patrick Heury, 177(3.
72 Southwest Virginia, 17Jf6-178G.
erected Fort London and Fort Eobinson, the first Anglo-American
forts witliin tlie present State of Tennessee.
\\'!iile ciiiiaged in hiiildiiig Fort IJobinson Col. Byrd was joined
by five Inuidi'cd men IVoiii Xoi'lh Carolina nnder the command of
Col. Waddell.
As a resnlt of the conrse pursued l)y Coh Byrd, great dissatisfac-
tion arose among his men, and C^ol. Byrd resig-ned, and was suc-
ceeded in the command of the force, now numliering al)out twelve
hundred men, by Col. Stephens.
In tlie meantime, the distant garrison at Fort Lomlon, consist-
ing of two lumdred men, was reduced to the dreadful alternative of
perishing by hunger or submitting to the mercy of the enraged
Cherokees. The Governor of South Carolina, hearing that the Vir-
ginians had undertaken to relieve it, for awdiile seemed satisfied and
anxiously waited to hear the news of that happy event, but so remote
was the fort from any settlement and so difficult was it to march
an army through a barren wilderness, where every thicket con-
cealed an enemy, and to- carry, at the same time, suffi.cient supplies
along with them, that the Virginians had not succeeded in giving
them assistance. Provisions being entirely exhausted at Fort Lou-
don, the garrison Avas upon the point of starving. For a whole
month they had no other subsistence than the flesh of lean hoTses
and dogs and a small supply of Indian beans, procured stealthily for
them by some friendly Cherokee w^omen. The officers had long en-
deavored to encourage the men. with the hope oi succour ; but now,
being blockaded night and day by the enemy and having no resource
left, they threatened to leave the fort and die at once by the hands
of the savages, rather than perish slowly by famine. In this extrem-
ity the commander was obliged to call a council of war tO' consider
what was proper to be done. The officers were all of the opinion
that it was impossible to hold out longer. They therefore agreed to
surrender the fort to the Cherokees on the best terms that could be
obtained from them. For this purpose, Capt. Stuart, an officer of
great sagacity and address and much beloved by those of the Indians
who reuiained in the British interest, ])rocured leave to go to Chota,
one of the principal towns in the neighborhood, where he obtained
the following terms of capitulation, which were signed by the coni-
iiiniiding officers and two of the Cherokee chiefs.
"•That the uai-rison of Fort Ijoudon march out with their arms
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 73
and drums, each soldier having as much powder and ball as his officer
shall think necessary for the march, and all the baggage he may
choose to carry; that the garrison be permitted to march, unmolested,
to Virginia or Fort Prince George, as the commanding officer shall
tliink proper, and that a number of Indians be appointed to escort
them and hunt for provisions diiring the march; that such sol-
diers as are lame, or by sickness disabled from marching, be received
into the Indian towns and kindly used until they recover, and then
be allowed to return to Fort Prince George; that the Indians do
ju'ovide for the garrison as many horses as they conveniently can for
the march, agreeing with the officers and soldiers for payment ; that
tlie fort, gTeat guns, powder, ball and spare arms be delivered to the
Indians without fraud or further delay, on the day appointed for
the march of the troops.*
"Agreeably to this stipulation, the garrison delivered up the fort
and marched out with their arms, accompanied by Oconostota,
Judds' friend, the Prince of Chota, and several other Indians, and
that day went fifteen miles on their way to Fort Prince George.
A-t night they encamped upon a plain about two miles from Tali-
quo, an Indian town, when all their attendants, upon one pretext or
another, left them ; which the officers considered as no good sign, and
therefore placed a strict guard around their camp. During the
night they remained unmolested, but next morning about break of
day a soldier from an outpost came running in and informed them
that he saw a number of Indians, armed and painted in the most
dreadful manner, creeping among the bushes and advancing in order
to surround them. Scarcely had the officer time to order his men
to stand to their arms, when the savages poured in upon them a
heavy fire from different quarters, accompanied by the most hideous
yells, which struck a panic into the soldiers, who were so much en-
feebled and dispirited that they were incapable of making any effect-
ual resistance. Captain Demere, with three other officers and about
twenty-six privates, fell at the first onset. Some fled into the woods
and were afterwards taken prisoners and confined among the towns
in the valley. Captain Stuart and those that remained were seized,
pinioned and brought back to Fort Loudon. No sooner had Attakul-
lakulla heard that his friend, Mr. Stuart, had escaped, than he has-
tened to the fort and purchased him from the Indian that took him,
*Haywood.
74 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
giving him his rifle, clothes and all he could command hy way of
ransom. He then took possession of Capt. Demere's house, where
he kept his prisoner as one of his family and freely shared with
him the little provisions his table afforded, until a fair oppor-
tunity should offer for rescuing him from the hands of the savages,
but the poor soldiers were kept in a miserable state of captivity for
some time and then redeemed by the province at great expense.
"While the prisoners were confined at Fort Loudon, Oconostota
formed the design of attacking Fort Prince George. To this bold
undertaking he was the more encouraged, as the cannon and am-
munition surrendered by the garrison would, under direction of
French officers who were near him, secure its success. Messengers
were therefore dispatched to the valley towns requesting their war-
riors to meet him at Stickoee.
"By accident, discovery was made of ten bags of powder and a
large quantity of ball, that had been secretly buried at the fort to pre-
vent their falling into the enemy's hands. This discovery had nearly
proved fatal to Captain Stuart ; but the interpreter had such presence
of mind as to assure the incensed savages that these warlike stores
were concealed without Stuart's knowledge or consent. The sup-
ply of ammunition being sufficient for the siege, a council was held
at Chota, to which the captive Stuart was taken. Here he was re-
minded of the obligations he was under for having his life spared,
and as they had determined to take six cannon and two cohorts
against Fort Prince George, the Indians told him he must accom-
pany the expedition, manage the artillery and write such letters to
the commandant as they should dictate to him. They further in-
formed him that if the officer should refuse to surrender, they had
determined to burn the prisoners, one by one, before his face and
try whether he could be so obstinate as to hold out while his friends
were expiring in the flames.
"Captain Stuart was much alarmed at his present situation and
from that moment resolved to make his escape or perish in the
attempt. He privately communicated his design to Attakullakulla
and told him that the thought of bearing arms against his country-
men harrowed his feelings, and he invoked his assistance to accom-
plish his release. The old warrior took him by the hand, told him he
was his friend and was fully apprised of the designs of his country-
men, and pledged his efforts to deliver him from danger. Attakulla-
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 75
kulla claimed Captain Stuart as his prisoner and resorted to strata-
gem to rescue him. He told the other Indians that he intended to
go a hunting for a few days and to take his prisoner with him.
Accordingly they departed, accompanied by the warrior's wife, his
brother and two soldiers. The distance to the frontier settlements
was great and the utmost expedition was necessary to prevent sur-
prise from Indians pursuing them. Nine days and nights did they
travel through a dreary wilderness, shaping their course by the sun
and moon, for Virginia. On the tenth they arrived at the banks of
the Holston river, where they fortunately fell in with a party of three
hundred men, sent out under the command of Col. Byrd for the
relief of Fort Loudon. On the fourteenth day the Captain reached
Col. Byrd's camp on the frontiers of Virginia. His faithful friend
Attakullakulla was here loaded with presents and provisions and
sent back to protect the unhappy prisoners till they should be ran-
somed and to exert his influence with the Cherokees for the restora-
tion of peace."*
It will be observed that Fort Loudon was defended by twelve great
guns. It cannot be explained how the cannon had been transported
to Fort Loudon as early as 1756. They could not have been brought
down the Ohio and up the Tennessee, for the French were in pos-
session of the mouth of the Tennessee. The only plausible ex-
planation that can be given is that these cannon were carried across
the mountains from Augusta county when reinforcements were sent
to Fort Loudon, and then along Indian trails upon pack-horses. It
is possible that these cannon were brought from Fort Lewis to the
head waters of the Holston and carried down the same in boats or
canoes to the mouth of the Holston, and thence up the Little Ten-
nessee to Fort Loudon.
It is sad to contemplate the fate of the occupants of this the first
Anglo-American fort established in Tennessee.
It does not appear that the fort at Long Island was permanently
occupied at this time. About this time, large numbers of hunters
from Eastern Virginia, allured by the report of the abundance of
game and the prospect of gain in the western wilderness, organized
themselves into companies, and hunted throughout Southwest Vir-
ginia, East Tennessee and Eastern Kentucky.
The first company of hunters who visited this section, as far as
*Haywoo(i.
76 Southwest Virginia, 17JfG-1786.
I can ascertain, was a company organized by Elislia Wallen (from
whom Wallen's Creek and Wallen's Eidge received their names, as
well as Wallen's Station in Lee county), accompanied by Scaggs,
Blevins, Cox and others. They remained eighteen months, during
which time they hunted in Clinch and Powell's Valleys in Virginia,
and Carter's Valley in Tennessee, and went as far as Laurel moun-
tain in Kentucky.
About the same time Daniel Boone, accompanied by several hunt-
ers, visited the Holston and camped the first night in what is now
known as Taylor's Valley. On the succeeding day, they hunted down
the South Fork of Holston river and traveled thence to what was
thereafter known as Wolf Hills, where they encamped the second
night, near where Black's Fort was afterwards built. It is interest-
ing to note at this point that Daniel Boone and his companion, im-
mediately after nightfall, were troubled by the appearance of great
numbers of wolves, which assailed their dogs with such fury that it
was with great difficulty that the hunters succeeded in repelling their
attacks and saving the lives of their dogs, a number of which were
killed or badly crippled by the wolves. The wolves had their home
in the cive that underlies the town of Abingdon. The entrance to
this cave is upon the lot now occupied by the residence of Capt.
James L. White, and it was from this incident that Abingdon re-
ceived its first name, Wolf Hills. Boone and his companion re-
mained at Abingdon for a short while, during which time they dis-
agreed and separated, Boone taking the Indian trail leading to Long
Island, and ISTathaniel Gist, his companion, following the Indian
trail to Cumberland Gap. They did not meet again upon this trip.
On Boon's creek in East Tennessee was found a tree upon which
was found the following inscription: "D. Boon cilled a bar on this
tree in the year 1760"; and near Long Island in Tennessee a tree
was found in recent years upon which was the following inscription :
"D. Boon killa bar on this tree 1773."
A block containing the last inscription was taken from this tree
and is now in possession of Mrs. James W, Preston, of Abingdon,
and establishes the fact that Daniel Boone was upon the waters of
the Holston as early as 1760, and again in 1773.
A treaty of peace was conclwded between the French and English
at Fontainbleau, in 1762, by which the English acquired Canada
and that portion of the Mississippi Valley east of that river, but
Daniel Boone and Boone Trees.
78 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
peace was not concluded with the Indians until the next year. The
Indians had become accustomed to bloodshed and greatly detested
the Anglo-American settlers. They were greatly exasperated by the
cession of Canada to the English and at the French for deserting
them.
The Indians detested the Anglo- American settlers for the very evi-
dent reason that they asserted title to all the lands lying upon the
western waters, were building forts at various places upon the fron-
tiers and manning them with British troops, and because their set-
tlers were occupying the favorite hunting grounds of the Indians.
The Indians, being deprived of the more moderate counsel of their
French allies, therefore became more brutal and savage in their con-
duct towards the settlers, and so active and intelligent were the
Indians in conducting their campaigns against the settlements that
all the land lying along the waters of the Mississippi was depopulated
by July, 1763, except a small settlement at Draper's Meadows, on
New river. The condition of the country at that time is best de-
scribed by a letter of Col. Wm. Preston, which letter is here pub-
lished.
The letter is dated Greenfield, 27th July, 1763. The writer
says : "Our situation at present is very different from what it was
when we had the pleasure of your company in this country. All the
valleys of Eoanoke river and along the waters of the Mississippi are
depopulated, except Captain English with a few families on the New
river, who have built a fort, among whom are Mr. Thompson and his
family, alone remaining. They intend to make a stand till some as-
sistance be sent them. Seventy-fi,ve of the Bedford militia went out
in order to pursue the enemy, but I hear the officers and part of the
men are gone home, and the rest gone to Eeed creek to help in the
family of James Davis and in two or three other families there that
dare not venture to travel.
"I have built a little fort in which are eighty-seven persons, twenty
of whom bear arms. We are in a pretty good posture of defence,
and with the aid of God are determined to make a stand. In five or
six other plades in this part of the country they have fallen into the
same method and with the same resolution. How long we may keep
them is uncertain. No enemy have appeared here as yet. Their
guns are frequently heard and their footing observed, which makes
us believe they will pay us a visit. My two sisters and their families
Southivest Virginia, 1746-1786. 79
are here and all in good health. We bear our misfortunes so far with
* * * and are in hopes of being relieved I have a thousand
things * * * Captain Christian can't wait * * * i give
you joy/' (The asterisks indicate parts of the letter torn out.)
In the year 1760, a party of Indians, numbering eight or ten,
crossed the Blue Eidge and murdered a number of people in Bedford
county, took several women and children prisoners and returned by
way of New river.
A man in the New river settlement, while searching for stray
horses, discovered the Indians eiicamped about six miles from the
New river fort, of which information was given to William Inglis,
who gathered sixteen or eighteen men and proceeded to attack the
Indians, about daybreak the next morning. A considerable battle
followed, in which one white man and seven Indians were killed, the
rest of the Indians making their escape. Capt. Inglis and his men
secured all the provisions and plunder of the Indians.
The western settlements for ten years enjoyed comparative peace
from the Indians. The only trouble they had to contend with was
from parties of thieving Indians that occasionally visited the settle-
ments. The British Government previously to 1763 claimed the
lands lying west of the Alleghany mountains by right of the discov-
ery of John Cabot made in 1497, and at no time recognized the
claims of the Indian inhabitants to these lands.
In the treaty concluded with France in 1762, while France ceded
to England all her rights in this territory, otill no provision was
made for extinguishing the Indian title thereto, and the Indians
denied the right of France to cede England these lands.
In March, 1764, a company of Indians visited the home of David
Cloyd, about five miles west of the present Fincastle, Va., and
tomahawked Mrs. Cloyd, killed John Cloyd, destroyed the entire
household, and carried off a large sum of money that belonged to
David Cloyd. Mrs. Cloyd lived until the next morning and told
all the circumstances connected with the raid. Before dying she
told how an Indian had taken up a cob and wiped the blood from
her temples, exclaiming "Poor old woman !"
This company of Indians were pursued by a company of militia
under Capt. James Montgomery, and one of the Indians was killed
(m John's creek about thirty miles from Cloyd's house, with £137
18s. on his person. A dispute arose among the militia as to the
80 Southwest Virginia, 17J,6-1786.
ownership of the money and it was deposited in the hands of Capt.
James Montgomery until the matter should be decided.
We here insert a copy of the court records, which best explains
the matter.
In Augusta County Court, August Term, 1766.
David Cloyd * Plaintiff,
vs. Recover goods taken by Indians.
James Montgomery, Defendant.
We agree that a party of Indians made an Irruption into the
Colony, attacked the Plaintiff's House, rifled it and bore off up-
wards of £200 in gold and silver and several household goods and
negroes.
We agree that a party of the militia pursued the enemy and over-
took them on John's creek, a branch of the James river, at the dis-
tance of 30 or 35 miles from the Plaintiff's House, and attacked
and killed one of the number.
We agree that upon searching the Indian's Budgett a quantity of
gold, some dollars and pieces of small silver were found, which
upon being weighed amounted to the sum of £137 18s.
We agree that the money found in the budgett of the Indians
consisted of the same coins whicli the Plaintiff was known to have
in his house when plundered by the Indians.
We agree that after the money was recovered from the Indians a
dispute arose among the militia to whom the money of right be-
longed, whether it should be delivered to the Pltff. who was deeuied
to have been the owner of it before it fell into the hands of the
Indiana, or whether the militia were entitled to it as having recov-
ered it from them, upon which dispute that sum of money was
lodged in the hands of the Defendant to be by him kept till that
point should be settled.
We agree that the Plaintiff made an offer of 30 shillings to each
of the men who had assisted in the pursuit of the Enemy.
We agree that a part of the Company of Militia made an offer
to the Plaintiff of delivering up his* negroes and household goods
if he would allow them the money.
We agree that the Defendant paid the sum of money out of his
hands to the Militia and that several of them returned their divi-
dends to the Plaintiff amounting to the sum of £106.17.2.
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 8l
We agree that the Plaintiff paid to several of the captors who
returned him their dividends the sum of 30s. the premium by him
before offered for their service.
We agree that if the law be for the Plaintiff that Judgment be
entered for him for the sum of £31.0.10, if the Law be for the
Defendant we agree that Judgment be entered for him.
Gabriel Jones^ Atty. for Pltff.
Peter Hogg^ Atty. for Deft.
We have no further account of Indians invading Southwest Vir-
ginia, until the year 1764, at which time a party of Indians came
up Sandy and on to New river, where they divided, one party go-
ing towards the settlements at Roanoke and Catawba, the other to
the settlement on Jackson river. The company of Indians that
went towards the Eoanoke settlement were accidentally discovered
by Captain Paul and a company of twenty men, at midnight, on the
New river, near the mouth of Indian creek. Capt. Paul's men fired
upon the Indians, killing three and wounding many others; the
rest fled and escaped. It is hard to depict the effect of these terri-
ble scenes upon the settlers of Western Virginia. iVmong the pri-
soners rescued by Capt. Paul was a Mrs. Green, who knew Capt.
Paul and recognized his voice. She was mistaken for an Indian
squaw by one of Capt. Paul's men, who was in the act of tomahawk-
ing her, when she called the name of Capt. Paul, which saved her
alive.
She was asked why she made no resistance ; to which she replied,
"I would as soon die as not; my husband is murdered, my children
slain, my parents are dead ; I have not a relative in America, every-
thing dear to me is gone. I have no wishes, no hopes, no fears. I
would not rise to my feet to save my life."
The English Government was exceedingly anxious to secure peace
with the Indians, and this year Col. Boquet published a royal
proclamation forbidding the whites to settle or hunt west of the
Alleghany mountains; which read as follows: "And we do strictly
enjoin and require all persons whatsoever, who have, either will-
fully or inadvertently, seated themselves upon any lands within the
Countries above described (West of the Alleghany mountains), or
upon any other lands which not having been ceded to, or purchased
by us, are still reserved to said Indians as aforesaid, forthwith to
83 Southwest Virginia, 111^6-1786.
remove themselves from said settelments." This proclamation was
issued in October, 17G4, but it failed to accomplish the object in
view, and thereupon, in the year 1765, two armed movements were
made into the Indian Territory, the one to Lake Erie and the other
to the Muskingum. Two treaties were made Avith the Indians in
the autumn of this year, one at Niagara and the other at the Mus-
kingum. The treaty signed at the Muskingum was negotiated by
Col. Boquet with the Delaware and Shawnese Indians. At the
time of the signing of this treaty. Col. Boquet received from the
Indians two hundred and six prisoners, ninety Virginians from
West Augusta and one hundred and sixteen Pennsylvanians.
And thus was concluded at the end of ten years of hard fighting
the French-Indian war, which began in 1754.
If the British Government was candid in the promulgation of
the proclamation of 1763, she thereby admitted the claims of the
Indians, and accomplished nothing as a result of the ten years' war
with the French and Indians just closed.
After the publication of this proclamation, the citizens of the
Colonies became criminals when they, in any way, trespassed upon
any of the lands on the waters of the Mississippi. Nevertheless,
the frontier hunters and the western settlers proceeded with their
explorations as if that proclamation had never been issued, and
some historians go as far as to say that even the leading public
men of that day did not consider this proclamation binding, but as
only intended to appease the apprehensions of the Indians, but in
this opinion we cannot join.
Whatever may have been the intention of the proclamation, it is
certain that its effect was to greatly retard the settlements of the
lands west of the mountains.
The "Loyal Land Company" on the 25th day of May, 1763, peti-
tioned the Governor and Council for a renewal and confirmation
of the grant made to them for 800,000 acres of land by the Gov-
ernor and Council of Virginia in 1749, but their petition was de-
nied, upon the ground that they were restricted by his Majesty's
instructions from renewing or confirming the grant. From this
action of the Governor and Council of Virginia, it may be well
said, all the surveys made upon the waters of the Holston and
Clinch rivers by James Patton, Dr. Thomas Walker and others,
and all the patents issued therefor were void, for the reason that
Southwest Virginia, 17Jf6-1786. 83
the King of England had no right to grant to any of his subjects
lands belonging to the Indians.
Nevertheless, Dr. Walker, agent for the "Loyal Land Company,"
and the devisees of Col. James Patton, immediately proceeded to
survey and sell lands upon the waters of the Holston and Clinch
rivers, under their grants, as if they had never been restrained
from so doing by the proclamation of 1763 and by the action of the
Governor and Council of Virginia, and by the 16th day of Decem-
ber, 1773, Dr. Walker, as agent for the "Loyal Company," had
actually surveyed and disposed of to purchasers 1,756 tracts of land
containing 156,164 acres; and this, in addition to the lands sur-
veyed in the years 1753-'54 — making a total of 201,554 acres out
of the 800,000 acres granted.
In the year 1766, Dr. Walker, as agent for the "Loyal Com-
pany," caused advertisements to be distributed through several
of the States, north and south, requesting all persons who had
contracted for any of the company's land and were driven off their
settlements in the former war, to return and claim the same or it
would be sold to others. The Legislature of Virginia, in the fall
of the year 1778, confirmed the acts of Dr. Walker in the premises
to the extent stated, but declined to allow the company any fur-
ther time or to survey any further lands under this grant. At
the same session of the General Assembly of Virginia William Pres-
ton and William Thompson, executors of James Patton, deceased,
were authorized to complete the grant of 120,000 acres of land
made by James Patton, under his grant, and to execute deeds to
the purchasers therefor.
Nathaniel Gist, a noted Indian trader, in the year 1761, pur-
chased from the Cherokee Indians the Great Island lying in the
Holston river, known as Long Island, and claimed the same,
under his grant from the Indians, and in the year 1777 he peti-
tioned the Legislature of Virginia to confirm the title thereto to
him. What action the Legislature took upon this petition cannot
be ascertained, but it may be presumed that the Legislature de-
clined his request, as on the 24th day of June, 1776, the General
Assembly of Virginia, with the approval of the Governor, "Eesolved,
That no purchase of lands within the chartered limits of Virginia
shall be made under any pretense whatever, from any Indian tribe
or nation, without the approval of the Virginia Legislature."
84 Souiliwest Virginia, 17Jf6-178G.
This island was a favorite resort of the Indians, and seemed
to have been anxiously sought after by Eichard Pearis and Na-
thaniel Gist, probably two of the best Indian spies and hunters we
read of in our early history. From the conclusion of the French-
Indian war in December, 1764, until February 13, 1770, nothing
of importance occurred beyond the visits of the Long Hunters and
the surveyors for the land companies, a few settlements being
made.
In the year 1765, John Campbell, who afterwards became clerk
of the County Court of Washington county, visited the waters of
the Holston with Dr. Walker, and purchased for his father, David
Campbell, and himself, from John Buchanan, a large tract of land
near the head waters of the Holston river, containing 740 acres,
called "Eoyal Oak,"* and, being the same tract of land surveyed
V for John Buchanan on the 14th day of October, 1747.
Among the settlers that came this year (1768) was Joseph Mar-
tin, a daring and enterprising backwoodsman. He was accom-
panied by a band of from twenty to thirty men, and led them to
Powell's Valley, now in Lee county, Ya., where they erected a fort
upon the north side of a creek, near two fine springs of water,
which fort and creek were thereafter called Martin's Fort and
Martin's Creek. The shape of the fort was a parallelogram which
enclosed about one-half an acre of ground. There were some five
or six cabins built about twenty feet apart, with strong stockades
between them, and in these stockades there were port-holes. Here
they cleared the land and planted corn and other vegetables. In
the latter part of the summer of this year the Indians broke them
up, and the settlers returned to the waters of the Holston. Mar-
tin's Fort was not occupied after the Eevolutionary War.
Several years thereafter John and Arthur Campbell, accom-
panied by their sister, Margaret, came out and settled at Eoyal
Oak, and in the year 1769 David Campbell, the father, with his
wife and sons, James, David, Eobert and Patrick, and his daugh-
ters, Mary, Martha, Sarah and Ann, came out and settled at the
same place.
In the year 1766, a party of hunters visited the Clinch Valley,
and two of their number, Carr and Butler, decided to remain.
They built a cabin at a place afterwards known as "Crab Or-
*Near Marion, Va.
Southivest Virginia, 17It-6-1786. 85
chard," about three miles west of Tazewell Courthouse. In the
year 1769, Carr separated from Butler and settled on a beautiful
piece of land two miles east of Tazewell Courthouse.
While many prospective settlers visited this section previously
to 1769, but few permanent settlements were made because of the
fact that the Indians claimed, and the English Government ad-
mitted their right to all the lands lying west of the mountains,
but the frontiers were lined with prospective settlers anxious for
an opportunity to take possession of and settle the new land. Great
numbers of emigrants were impatiently waiting along the fron-
tiers for an opportunity to make a rush for new homes on the
waters of the Mississippi.
The British Government recognized the fact that it could not
much longer restrain the people and protect the Indians in their
rights, and early in the spring of 1768 Sir William Johnson was
directed by the home government to negotiate a treaty with the
Delaware and the Shawnese Indians. John Stuart, the superintend-
ent of Indian affairs, about the same time was directed to negotiate
a treaty with the Southern Indians, extinguishing their rights to
the much-desired land. Sir William Johnson, pursuant to order,
appointed a Congress for the meeting of the Six Rations with the
commissioners of Virginia, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, at Port
Stanwix, near Oswego, ISTew York, on October 24, 1768. The Con-
gress met pursuant to order, and on Kovember 5, 1768, a treaty
was negotiated with the Indians, by* which they conveyed unto the
British Sovereign, Lord King George III, all of a certain tract of
land situated in North Am.erica at the back of the British settle-
ments, tlie deed being in the words and figures following, to-wit:
To ALL to whom these presents may come, or may concern : We
the Sachems & Chiefs of the Six United Nations and of the Shaw-
nese, Delawares, Mingoes, of Ohio and other dependent Tribes, on
behalf of ourselves and the rest of our several Nations, the Chiefs
and Warriors who are now here convened by Sir William Johnson,
Baronet, His Majesty's Superintendent of our Affairs, send greet-
ing. Whereas His Majesty was graciously pleased to propose to us
in the year 1765, that a Boundary line should be fixed between the
English and us, to ascertain and establish our limits and prevent
those encroachments of which we have so long and so loudly com-
plained, and to put a stop to the many fraudulent advantages
86 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
which had been so often taken of us in Land affairs, which Bound-
ary appearing to us as a wise and good measure, we did then agree
to a part of a line and promised to settle the whole finally whenso-
ever Sir Wm. Johnson should be fully empowered to trade with us
for that purpose. And whereas his said Majesty has at length given
Sir William Jolinson orders, Sir William Johnson has convened
the Chiefs and Warriors of our respective Nations, who are the true
and absolute proprietors of the lands in question and who are here
now to a very considerable number, and whereas many uneasinesses
and doubts have arisen amongst us, which have given rise to appre-
hension that the line may not be strictly observed on the part of
the English, in which case matters might be worse than before,
which apprehensions together with the dependent state of some of
our Tribes, and other circumstances which retarded the settlement
and became the subject of some debate. Sir Wm. Johnson has at
length so far satisfied us as to induce us to come to an agreement
concerning the line, which brought to a conclusion. The whole
being explained to us in a large assembly of our people, and before
Sir William Johnson, and in the presence of his Excellency the
Governor of New Jersey, the Commissioners for the Provinces
of Virginia and Pennsylvania, and sundry other gentlemen, by
which line, so agreed upon, a considerable tract of country along
several provinces is to be thus ceded to his Majesty which we are
induced to and do ratify and confirm to his said Majesty, from the
expectation and confidence we place in his royal goodness, and he
will graciously comply with our humble request, as the same is
expressed in the speech of the several Nations addressed to his Ma-
jesty through Sir William Johnson, on Tuesday the first of the pres-
ent month of November, wherein we have declared our expectations
of the continuance of his Majesty's favor, and our desire that our
ancient engagements be observed and our affairs attended to by
the officer who has the management thereof, enabling him to dis-
charge all these matters propefly for our interest. That the land_s
occupied by the Mohocks around their villages, as well as by any
other Nation affected by this our cession, may effectually remain
to them and to their posterity, and that any engagements regard-
ing property that they may now be under, may be prosecuted and
our present grants deemed valid on our parts, with the several other
humble requests contained in our speech. And whereas at the set-
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 87
tling of the said line, it appears that the line described by his
Majesty's order, was not extended Northward of Oswego, or to
the Southward of Great Kanawha Eiver, we have agreed to con-
tinue the line to the Northward, on the supposition that it was omit-
ted by reason of our not having come to any determination con-
cerning its course at the Congress held in 1765, inasmuch as the
"line to the Northward became the most necessary of any for pre-
venting the encroachments at our very towns and residences, and
we have given this line more favorable to Pennsylvania for the
reasons and considerations mentioned in the treaty. We have like-
wise continued it South to Cherokee River,"* because the same is
and we do declare it to be our true bounds with the Southern In-
dians, and that we have undoubted right to the country as far south
as that River, which makes our cession to his Majesty much more
advantageous than that proposed.
Now THEREFOKE KNOW YE, that we, the Sachems and Chiefs
beforementioned, native Indians and proprietors of the lands here-
inafter described, for and in behalf of ourselves and the whole of
our Confederacy, for the consideration hereinbefore mentioned
and also for and in consideration of a valuable present of the sev-
eral articles in use and among the Indians, which, together with a
large sum of money, amounting in the whole to the sum of £10,460
7s 3 pence, sterling, to us now delivered and paid by Sir William
Johnson, Baronet, his Majesty's Sole Agent and Superintendent of
Indian Affairs, for the Northern Department of America, in the
name and on behalf of our Sovereign Lord, George Third, by the
grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, King, De-
fender of the Faith, the receipt whereof we do hereby acknowledge,
we the said Indians have for us, our heirs and successors, granted,
bargained, sold, released and confirmed, and by these presents, do
grant, bargain, sell, release and confirm, unto our said Sovereign
Lord, King George Third, all that tract of land situated in North
America at the back of the British settlements bounded by a line
which we have now agreed upon, and do hereby establish as the
boundary between us and the British Colonies in America, begin-
ning at the mouth of the Cherokee or Hogohegee River, where it
empties into the River Ohio, and running from thence along the
Southern side of the said River to Kittanning, which is above Fort
*Holston river.
88 Southtvest Virginia,, 17JfG-17S0.
Pitt, from thence by a direct line to the nearest fork of the West
Branch of the Susquehanna, thence through the Alleghany Moun-
tains along the Southern side of the said West Branch until it
comes opposite to the mouth of a creek called Tiadgton, thence
across the West Branch, and along the South Side of that
creek and along the North side of the Burnett Hills to a creek
called Awandae, thence down the same to the East side of that
Eiver to Oswego, from thence East to the Delaware Kiver, and up
that Eiver to opposite where Tianadhera flows into the Susquehanna,
thence to Tianahedra and up the West side thereof, and the West
side of its West Branch to the head thereof, and thence by a direct
line to Canada Creek, where it empties into the Wood Creek at the
West End of the carrying place, beyond Fort Stanwix, and extend-
ing Eastward from every part of the said line as far as the lands
formerly purchased so as to comprehend the whole of the lands or
settlement, except what is within the Province of Pennsylvania, to-
gether with the hereditaments, and appurtenances to the same be-
longing or appertaining in tlie fullest and most ample manner,
and all the Estate, Eight, Title, Interest, Property, possession,
Benefit and claim and demand, either in law or equity, of each and
every one of us, in and of the same, or any part thereof, to liave and
to hold, the whole lands and premises hereby granted, bargained,
sold, released and confirmed as aforesaid with the hereditaments
and appurtenances thereunto belonging, under the reservations
made in the Treaty, unto our Sovereign Lord, King George Third,
his heirs and successors to and for his and their behoof forever.
In witness whereof, we the Chiefs of the Confederacy, have
hereunto set our marks and seals at Fort Stanwix, the 5th day of
November, 1768, in the 9th year of his Majesty's reign.
Signed, Sealed and delivered.
In presence of
Sir William Franklin, Gov. N. J.
Fred Smith, Chief Justice,
Thos. Walker, Commiss'r from Va.
Eichard Peters, ) of the Council,
James Tilghman, j
His
Texanasore, or Abraham, [L. S.]
Mark.
Southwest
Virginia^
1H6-1786.
His
Conaquieso,
Mark.
His
Sugnaregsora,
Mark.
His
Blunt or Chenngliita,
Mark.
His
Tigaya,
'
Mark.
His
Gostrave,
Mark.
89
[L. S.]
[L. S.]
[L. S.]
[L. S.]
[L. S.]
This Congress was attended by 3,200 Indians of the different
tribes composing the Six Nations, and thns the title of the North-
ern Indians to all the territory included within Washington coun-
ty was extinguished.
The Confederacy of the Six Nations claimed, by right of con-
quest, title to the lands thus ceded. About the year 1685 this Con-
federacy of Indians overran and conquered all the country south-
wards from the Ohio as far south as Georgia and as far west as the
Mississippi. An immense territory, 1,300 miles long and 600 miles
broad.
It will be observed from an inspection of this deed that Dr.
Thomas Walker was the Virginia Commissioner at this Congress,
and he was beyond question interested in the successful negotiation
of this treaty, not only in behalf of Virginia, but to a greater
extent in behalf of the "Loyal Land Company," of which he was a
part owner and the agent. Nothing was of greater importance to the
"Loyal Land Company" than the extinguishment of the title of the
Indians to the lands on the western waters, out of which they had
a grant for 800,000 acres of land, and from the prosecution of their
work in surveying, settling and selling the same, they had been re-
90 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
strained and prohibited by the King's proclamation in 17G3, and
by the action of the Governor and the Council of Virginia.
About the same time John Stuart, Superintendent of Indian
Affairs in the South, concluded a treaty with the Cherokee Indians
in the absence of Dr. Walker, by which the British Crown acquired
the right to all the land lying east of a straight line passing by
Chiswell's mine, on the eastern bank of the Great Kanawha* Eiver,
and from Chiswell's mine on the eastern bank of the river in a
straight line to the confluence of the Great Conhoway in Ohio.
The Commissioner of Indian Affairs communicated the result of
the treaty to the Governor of Virginia by letter, which letter is
as follows:
Hard Labor, Oct. 17, 1768.
Sir:
I have the honor to acquaint you in obedience to his Majesty's
commands, on the 13th curr't, I met at this place all the principal
Chiefs of the upper and lower Cherokee Nations, and on the 14th
by his Majesty's royal authority concluded the Treaty with said
Indians, ratifying the cession of land lying within the Provinces of
South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia by them to his Ma-
jesty and His heirs forever, and confirming the Boundary line
marked by the Lords Commissioners of Trade and Plantations, ac-
cording to the several agreements entered into with said Indians.
The line now ultimately confirmed and ratified by said Treaty was
as follows:
Prom the place called Towahilie, on the Northern Branch of the
Savannah Eiver, a North 50 degrees East course in a straight line,
to a place called Dewisses corner, or yellow water, from Dewisses,
or yellow water, a North 50 degrees East course in a straight line to
the south bank of Eeedy Elver, at a place called Wanghoe, or Elm
Tree, where the line behind Carolina terminates. From a place
called Wanghoe, or Elm Tree, to the South Bank of Eeedy Eiver, a
course in a straight line to a mountain called Tagon Mountain where
the great ridge of the mountains becomes impervious. In a straight
line to Chiswell's mine on the Eastern Bank of the Great Conhoway
Eiver, to a N. B. E. course, and from Chiswell's mine on the East-
ern Bank of the Great Conhoway in a straight line to a North course
*New River.
Southwest Virginia, 17^6-1786. 91
to the confluence of the Great Conhoway with the Ohio. As soon
as possible after my return to Charlestown I shall send you extracts
of my conference and an authentic copy of the above mentioned
Treaty concluded with said Chiefs. I acquainted the Chiefs that I
expected their Deputies to set out immediately from this place
with my Deputy to meet your Commissioners at Colonel Chis-
well's Mine in order to finish marking the Boundary line, as agreed
upon, but they objected, and desired that that service might be de-
ferred till the spring of next year. The reasons they urged for
this delay are as follows : That when they set the 10th of Novem-
ber for the time of meeting your Commissioners to proceed upon
that important service, they understood that they had no more to
mark than from the mountains where the line behind North Caro-
lina was, to Chiswell's Mine on the Conhoway, as they considered
the river from there to its confluence with the Ohio as a natural
Boundary. But as the line is to run in a straight line, almost due
North from the Mine, to the mouth of the river, the advanced
season of the year will render that service impracticable until the
Spring, as the line now ultimately agreed upon runs through a
large extent of mountainous country, uninhabited, where in the
winter the cold will be extremely intense, and there will be no shel-
ter for men, nor food for horses at that season. The reasons ap-
peared to me so just and good, that I was obliged to acquiesce in
them, and I send this letter by Express to prevent, as much as pos-
sible, any disappointment that may result from this alteration. I
hope you will receive it in time to prevent your Commissioners
from setting out. The Chiefs have appointed the 10th of May next
for meeting your Commissioners at Chiswell's Mine, which I hope
will prove agreeable and their reasons for altering the time satis-
factory to you. I reproached the Cherokees severely for the mur-
der of flve emigrants from your provinces, who were going to the
Mississippi, which was committed in the summer last. They con-
fessed it and said the perpetrators were a party, of Chilhowie peo-
ple who urged in their own defence, that their relations had been
killed in Augusta County, in the province, in 1765, for which they
had never received any satisfaction although repeated promises
had been made either of putting the guilty persons to death, or
making a compensation in goods from your province, which they
believed, because I had confirmed them. That they nevertheless
92 Southivest Virginia, 17Jf6-1786.
were disappointed, and being tired with waiting, took that satis-
faction which they could not obtain from our justice. All the
warriors declared that they disapproved of the action, but that the
Chilhowie people were authorized by the custom of their country to
act as they did, and their idea of never having received any satisfac-
tion was undeniable ; that in any other instance nothing should pre-
vent their executing strict justice according to Treaties. It is
not only extremely disagreeable to myself, but very detrimental to
his Majesty's service, to be obliged to fail in any promise I make
to Indians. The compensation of 500 Indian dressed Deer skins
value in goods for every person murdered, which on the faith of
Gov. Fauquier's repeated letters, I engaged them to receive, early in
the Spring, was extremely moderate, and this you will acknowledge
if you will compare it with the sum expended by the Province of
Pennsylvania, on a late similar occasion. And I must confess that
this disappointment will render me extremely cautious in making
promises on any future occasion.
I am to meet the Chiefs of the Upper and Lower Creek Nations
at Silver Bluff on Savannah Eiver, the first of November, to ratify
the cessions to his Majesty in the two Floridas and Georgia, and
expect to be at Charlestown by the time the bearer can return there.
I have the honor of being, very respected Sir,
Your most obedient and very humble servant,
John Stuart.
It will be observed from a perusal of the above letter that the
superintendent contemplated the running of the line, as fixed by
the treaty, immediately, but the Indians insisted upon postponing
the time for running this line till the 10th day of May, 1769.
This treaty gave great dissatisfaction to the Colony of Virginia
and to Dr. Walker, the agent for the "Loyal Land Company," for,
at the time the treaty was negotiated, hundreds of settlers had fixed
their homes on the lands west of the line as fixed, and not only had
many settlers occupied portions of these lands, but Dr. Walker as
agent for the "Loyal Land Company," and Col. James Patton's
representatives, had actually surveyed and sold large and numer-
ous tracts of land lying in the present counties of Pulaski, Wythe,
Smyth f^nd Washington, and west of the line fixed by this treaty.
The result of this treaty gave the Indians an excuse for depredating
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 93
on the settlers, and the settlers were forced to the necessity of
denying the rights of the Cherokee Indians to the lands thus set-
tled.
The settlers on Holston denied the right of the Cherokees to the
lands included within this county, and under the claim that the
lands belonged to the Confederacy of the Six Nations, they held
possession of their lands and continued their settlements. Dr.
Thomas Walker acted as the Virginia representative in the mak-
ing of the treaty at Fort Stanwix in the fall of the year 1768 and,
by December of that year, had communicated the result to the
emigrants along the borders, and no longer could the settlement of
this country be postponed. In the winter of 1768 and the early
part of the year 1769, a great flood of settlers overran Southwestern
Virginia and advanced as far south as Boone's Creek in East Ten-
nessee.
The one settler who ventured farthest into the wilderness was
Captain William Bean, who, with his family, settled on Boone's
Creek, early in the year 1769. His son, Russell Bean, was the first
white child 1)orn in Tennessee.
When Col. William Byrd visited the Long Island in 1760, two
men, by name Gilbert Christian and William Anderson, accompa-
nied his regiment. In this year, 1769, Christian and Anderson de-
termined to explore this western wilderness, and, in company with
Col. John Sawyers and four others, they crossed the North Fork
of the Holston river at Cloud's Fort in Tennessee and explored the
wilderness as far as Big Creek, now a part of Hawkins county,
where they met a large body of Indians, at which point they deter-
mined to return to their homes.
About twenty miles above Cloud's Fort, on the North Fork,
they found a cabin on every spot where the range was good, where
only six weeks before nothing was to be seen but a howling wilder-
ness. When they passed by before, on their outward destination,
they found no settlers on Holston, save three families on the head
springs of that river.
Just preceding this inrush of settlers, a young Englishman by
the name of Smith visited this section of Virginia and describes
the country, as he found it, in such an excellent manner that I
here copy in full his remarks upon the appearance of the country,
as well as the daily journal which he kept. When he had reached
94 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
the summit of the mountains above New river, he thus speaks of
the view presented :
"Language fails in attempting to describe this most astounding
and almost unbounded prospective. The mind was filled with a
reverential awe, but at the same time the ideas, and I had almost
said soul, were sensibly enlarged. The reflection on our own little-
ness did not diminish our intellectual faculties nor consequences,
and the mind would boldly soar over the vast extent of the earth
and water around, and even above the globe itself, to contemplate
and admire the amazing works of the great Creator of all.
In short, the strong, mighty, pointed and extended sensations of
the mind at this astonishing period are far beyond the power of
human language to describe or convey any idea of.
On the northwest you will observe with great astonishment and
pleasure the tremendous and abrupt break in the Alleghany moun-
tains, through which pass the mighty waters of New river and the
Great Kanawha.
On the west you can very plainly discover the three forks or
branches of the Holston, where they break through the great Al-
leghany mountains, forming striking and awful chasms.
And still beyond them you may observe Clinch river, or Pelli-
sippi; that it is almost equal to all three branches of the Holston.
Throughout the whole of this amazing and most extensive per-
spective there is not the least feature or trace of art or improve-
ments to be discovered.
All are the genuine effects of nature alone, and laid down on her
most extended and grandest scale.
Contemplating them fills the eye, engrosses the mind and en-
larges the soul. It totally absorbs the senses, overwhelms all the
faculties, expands even the grandest ideas beyond all conception
and causes you almost to forget that 5'^ou are a human creature."
He then proceeds to give the details of his journey through this
section of Virginia :
"We descended the moimtain, and halted for the night on the
side of a large rivulet, which we conjectured to be either Little
river itself, or some of the waters of it, having crossed the Blue
ridge at a most disagreeable and dangerous gap in the afternoon.
Next morning we set out early and traveled down the north side
Soufhwest Virginia, 17ji.6-1786. 95
of the rivulet, which we found to be Little river, until we arrived
at New river and at last came to the ford.
The New river is broad, deep and rapid, frequently impassable
and always dangerous.
However, we crossed it in safety, though with great difficulty and
hazard of being carried down with the stream, and we looked out
for a convenient spot on the west side, where we now are, to re-
main for the night. The low ground on New river is narrow, but
exceedingly rich and fertile ; the high land is also very fine in many
places, but excessively broken, rocky and mountainous.
The timber on the high land is very large and lofty, and that on
the low ground is almost equal to the prodigious heavy trees on the
Eoanoke river.
The extreme roughness of this country and the diflSculty of ac-
cess to it, the roads, or rather paths, being not only almost impas-
sable, but totally impossible ever to be rendered even tolerable by
any human efl^orts, will not only greatly retard the settlement of
this country, but will always reduce the price and value of the land,
be it ever so rich and fertile.
In the morning our horses and ourselves being very much re-
freshed, we set out again on our journey, and, after traveling ten
or twelve miles, crossed a pretty large water course named Peaks'
creek, and soon afterwards a large branch of Eeed creek.
In the afternoon we crossed another great ridge of the Alleghany
mountains at a gap, and in the evening came to the waters of
the Middle Fork of the Holston, where we halted for the night,
having traveled this day nearly fifty miles and over a vast quan-
tity of excellent land.
Next morning we pursued our journey and traveled down the
side of the Middle Fork of the Holston, which we crossed no less
than three times this day, and at night came to Stalnaker's, where
a few people, indeed all the inhabitants, had also erected a kind of
wretched stockade fort for protection against the Indians ; but they
had all left it a few days before our arrival and returned to their
respective homes.
Here we remained for two days at the old Dutchman's house
for rest and refreshment for ourselves and horses, which we had
really very much need of, and also to make inquiry concerning
our future route.
96 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
The land on the Holston is certainly excellent and fertile in the
highest degree; the climate also is delightful.
But the value of the estates here cannot be considerable for many
years — perhaps centuries to come; for the same roughness that has
been mentioned to affect those on New river.
Here we gained intelligence of a nearer way to Kentucky than
that commonly made use of, which had very lately been discovered,
viz. : by crossing Clinch river about sixty miles from Stalnaker's,
going over the great ridge of the Alleghany, or Appalachian moun-
tains, at a gap which had been used only by a few of the best hunters,
and falling down on the waters of the Warrior's branch, a river
that runs into Kentucky. With this route pretty exactly laid down,
we set out from the Dutchman's house on the third morning after
our arrival, and, after traveling over a vast quantity of exceedingly
strong, rich land covered with lofty timber, we reached the banks
of the Nortli Branch of the Holston, crossed the river, and put up
for the night, having traveled that day more than thirty miles.
The ford of this branch of the Holston is, if possible, worse than
any we have hitherto met with, and is indeed extremely dangerous,
but we were so familiarized to danger and fatigue as to regard any-
thing of that nature but little.
On the next morning we set out on our journey by the route
which we had been directed to pursue, and at noon arrived at the
summit of a vast chain of mountains which separates the north
branch of the Holston from the Clinch river.
Here we had the pleasure of enjoying an extensive, wild and
romantic view, particularly that stupendous ridge of the Alleghany,
or Appalachian mountains, which is the chief and most lofty of
the whole.
It was rendered more interesting to me by reflecting that I must
cross it on my journey, our route being directly over it. We made
no unnecessary delay, however, on this commanding spot, but de-
scended the mountain and pursued with all the expedition we
could ; and we arrived on the banks of Clinch river late that even-
ing, so that we could not venture to cross the ford that night.
In the morning we undertook the hazardous task of fording
Clinch river, and accomplished it after several plunges, as usual,
over our heads: neither did we halt to dry our clothes until noon,
when we rested at the side of a savannah (meadow) ; here we re-
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 97
mained for two hours, and then arose exceeding!}^ refreshed, and
jnirsned our journey.
On the evening we had reached half way up the stupendous west-
ernmost ridge of the Alleghany mountains, the last, greatest and
loftiest of the whole.
Here we remained all night, concluding to attempt the steepest
and most difficult ascent in the morning. We always alighted, and
led our horses up these jjrodigious and perilous ascents.
We pursued our journey up the mountain next morning, hut the
sun was several hours high before we could possibly reach the sum-
mit.
This ridge of the Alleghany mountains is indeed of a most stu-
pendous and astonishing height, and conunands a prospect propor-
tionately extensive.
I took a retrospective view, with satisfaction and pleasure, of the
vast chain of mountains beyond Clinch river, which I had crossed,
and I looked forward, with interested anxiety and eagerness, toward
the great ridge of mountains which I had still to pass over.
The summit of this ridge is the most lofty of all the Alleghany,
is nearly a mile wide, and consists of excellent strong, rich land
of a deep red or a dark reddish-brown color, with very large, tall
timber; and there are springs of water almost on the very summit
of the mountains. When we rested that night we were on the
waters of Warrior's branch."
We give no more of this diary, for our traveler has now passed
beyond the limits of the original bounds of W^ashington county.
The Governor of Virginia, upon the receipt of the letter from
John Stuart, the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, immediately set
about to undo what had been done by the treaty at Hard Labor,
S. C. He thereupon commissioned Colonel Andrew Lewis and Dr.
Thomas Walker to visit the Indians and secure a new line from
them. On the 5th day of January, 1769, they began their journey
t(y&(f^^ Carolina for the purpose of seeing the Indians and nego-
tiating with them. Dr. Walker and Colonel Lewis returned to their
homes in the month of February and made a report to Lord Bote-
tourt, which report we here copy in full, as it is very interesting,
and explains fully what was done :
My Lord, — On receiving your Excellency's instructions, we be-
98 Southwest Virginia, 1H6-1786.
gan our journey to Charlestown, South Carolina; on the fifth day
of January, we waited on his Excellency, William Tryon, Esq., at
Brunswick, by whom we were kindly received and promised all the
assistance in his power ; on the next day we went to Fort Johnson,
near the mouth of Cape Fear Eiver.
On the 8th, Gov. Tryon wrote us that some Cherokee Indians
were at Brunswick, that Judds Friend and Salue, or the Young
warrior of Estitoe, were two of them, and that they would wait up
at Fort Jolmston. His Excellency was again invited to go with
them. On their arrival we informed them we were going to their
father, John Stuart, Esq., on business relative to the Nation, and
should be glad to have their company, and they readily agreed to
come with us. On the 9th the ofiicer we had engaged was ready to
sail, and we embarked with the two Cherokee Chiefs, two Squaws
and an Interpreter. On the 11th, we waited on Mr. Stuart, de-
livered your Lordship's letter and full information of our business.
In answer Mr. Stuart told us that the Boundary between the
Cherokees and Virginia was fully settled and ratified in Great
Britain, and that any proposal of that kind would be very alarming
to them, but after some time agreed that we might mention it to
them, which we did on the 13th of Jan'y. The Indian Chiefs ap-
peared much pleased, and agreed to wait on Mr. Stuart with us, and
in his presence, Judds Friend spoke as follows :
Father, — On an invitation from Governor Tryon, we left our
country some time since; Our two elder Brothers, Col. Lewis and
Doctor Walker, from Virginia, who had matters of importance to
mention to us, that equally concerned our people as well as theirs.
His news gave us great joy, and we lost no time in waiting on them,
and with great pleasure took passage with them in order to wait
on you on the business which was much concerning us, as well as
their people, and to convince you that we like their talk, we now take
them by the hand giving them a welcome, and present them with
this string of Wampum.
Father, — They tell us that by running the line lately mentioned,
as a boundary between our people and Virginia, a great number of
their people will fall within the bounds of our country, which
would greatly distress these our poor Brothers; which is far from
our intention. And to evidence to you, that we are on all occasions,
willing to testify our brotherly affection towards them, we are
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 99
heartily willing to join in any such negotiations as may be thought
necessary and most expedient for fixing a new Boundary, that may
include all those people settled in our lands in the bounds of Vir-
ginia, and we now give them in the presence of you our Father, this
string of Wampum as an assurance that those people shall remain
in peaceable possession of those lands, until a treaty is held for fix-
ing a new Boundary, between them and our people.
Gives a string of Wampum.
We then delivered the following Talk to the Warriors, to be by
them communicated to their Nation.
To the Chiefs of the CheroTcees:
Brothers, — On the 20th day of December last, being in Williams-
burg, we received instructions from Lord Botetourt, a great and
good man, whom the great King George has sent to preside over his
Colony of Virginia, directing us to wait on your father, John Stu-
art, Esq., Supt. Indian Affairs, in order to have a plan agreed
upon for fixing a new Boundary between your people and his
Majesty's subjects in the Colony of Virginia. On our way to the
place, to our great joy, we met with our good brothers, Judds
Friend and the Warrior of Estitoe, who with great readiness took
a passage with us from Governor Tryon, to this place where we had
the happiness to wait upon your father, Mr. Stuart, and with joint
application, represented to him the necessity of taking such meas-
ures as may effectually prevent any misunderstanding that might
arise between his Majesty's subjects of the Colony of Virginia and
our brothers the Cherokees, until a full treaty be appointed and
held for the fixing a new Boundary that may give equal justice and
satisfaction to the parties concerned, and that his Majesty's sub-
jects, now settled on the lands between Chiswell's Mines, and the
Great Island of Holston River, remain in peaceable possession of
said lands, until a line is run between them and our good brothers
the Cherokees, who will receive full satisfaction for such lands as
you, our brothers, shall convey to our Great King for the use of his
subjects. I
Your Father, Mr. Stuart's, message to you on this head, makes it
needless for us to say any more on this subject. He will let you,
at a proper time, know both the time and place where this great
work shall be brought into execution. We have the pleasure to
100 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
inform j'oii that 3'our two great Warriors now present, have heartily
concurred with us in every measure and make no doubt of such
measures giving great satisfaction to the whole Nation.
Gave a string of Wampum.
Jan. 16th. In answer to which, Judds Friend and the Warrior
of Estitoe spoke as follows :
Father: and our Brothers from Virginia, — We have heard your
Talks, which we think very good, and shall with all convenient
speed return to our Nation, and when our Chiefs are assembled
shall lay these Talks before them.
Brothers, — We are sorry to have it to say, that for some time bad
blood and evil actions prevailed amongst us, which occasioned a
stroke from our Elder Brothers; but now we have the satisfaction
of telling you that our hands are good and straight, and you may de-
pend on their continuing so, and, that you may depend the more on
what we say, we take off these black beads from the end of
this string, that nothing may remain but what is pure and white,
and now put the black beads in your hands, which we call the re-
mains of our evil thoughts, and desire you may now cast them
away, that they may never be had in remembrance more.
Brothers, — We shall with great pleasure comply with the request
that yon have made with regard to the lands you have mentioned,
and shall wait with impatience for a general meeting, that we may
have opportunity for convincing our Elder Brothers of our friendly
disposition towards them, as we may be of real use to them, for to
us it is of little or none, as we never hunt there; the deer do not
live in the mountains, and you, in the meantime, may depend that
your people shall enjoy peaceable possession until we make a
Treaty with the Great King.
Brothers, — We hope the measures now taken will be productive of
many advantages to our people, as well as those who by living so
much nearer to us, will have it in their power to supply us with
goods, for we are often imposed upon greatly, as we have no trade
at present but with this Province, and we hope you, our Brothers,
will signify to your Governor, whom we believe to be that great
and good man you mention, our great desire to have a trade with
Virginia, that after this business is happily finished, which we
make no doubt of on the part of our Nation, we may enjoy a
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 101
friendly intercourse and have an advantageous trade with our
Brothers, the Inhabitants of Virginia.
Brothers, — We have often joined you in war against your ene-
mies and you may always depend on our assistance on any future
occasion.
Gives a string of Wampum.
After we had given Mr. Stuart the reasons for thinking it ab-
solutely necessary that the new Boundary should be agreed upon,
he desired us to commit these reasons in writing and sign them:
which we did in the following words :
Sir, — His Excellency, the Eight Honorable ISTorborne, the Lord
Botetourt, Governor in Chief of the Colony of Virginia, and the
King's Coimcil of that Dominion, having ordered us to wait on you
and assist in settling the Boundary line between that Colony and
the Cherokee Indians, we beg leave to inform you that the line pro-
posed to be marked from Chiswell's Mines to the confluence of the
Great Kanawha and the Ohio, would be a great disadvantage to
the Crown of Great Britain, and would injure many subjects of
Britain that now inhabit that part of the frontier, and have in mak-
ing that settlement complied with every known rule of government
and the laws of that Colony.
Lands were first granted on the waters of the Mississippi by Sir
William Gooch of Virginia, and the Council about the year 1746,
in consequence of instructions from England, and many families
settled on the lands so granted. In the year 1752, the Legislature
of Virginia passed an act to encourage settlers on the waters of the
Mississippi. By that act they were exempted from the payment of
taxes for ten years. To this act his late Majesty, of glorious mem-
ory, gives assent. The next year another act was passed, by which
five years' indulgence was added, and in that or the succeeding
year Eobert Dinwiddle, Esq., Governor of Virginia at that time,
received instructions from King George 2nd. to grant lands on
these waters, exempted from the payment of the usual right money
and free from Quit-rents for ten years.
Under these encouragements was that part of the Colony settled.
Whilst the inhabitants were settling on these lands, the Cherokee
Indians were frequently at their habitations, and never that we,
either of us, ever heard made the slightest complaint of our settling,
102 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
or laid any claim to the lands we settled, until ISTovember, 1763,
after the King's proclamation issued in that year.
The Six Nations both claimed the lands that were settled on the
branches of the rivers Kanawha and Monongahely and were paid
a proper consideration for them at Lancaster, in 1744, when they
executed a deed of cession to his late Majesty.
We flatter ourselves that the above is sufiScient to convince you
of the justice and legality of making those settlements. The
Boundary line that has been proposed would include many of the
inhabitants above mentioned within the limits of the Cherokee
Hunting Grounds. For all such lands and improvements, the jus-
tice of the crown would be an inducement to make some satisfac-
tion to the owners which would be expense to the crown and injure
the inhabitants much and totally ruin many of them, and the
evil would be increased by the loss of the Quit-rents paid for
these lands, and would also give the Cherokees a large tract of coun-
try that was never claimed by them and now is the property of the
crown, as Sir William Johnson actually purchased it of the Six
United Nations of Indians at a very considerable expense, and
took a deed of cession from them at Fort Stanwix, near the head
of Mohock's Eiver, on the 5th day of November last.
The interest of the crown and the inhabitants of Virginia will
be most served by fixing the Boundary with the Cherokees in 36°
30m. North Latitude, that Boundary being already marked by proper
authority as far as Steep Eock Creek, a branch of the Cherokee
Eiver, and is the proper division between Lord Granville's Pro-
prietary and the Dominion of Virginia, and includes but a small
part of the lands now claimed by the Cherokees, they having often
disclaimed the lands lying between the Ohio and a ridge of moun-
tains called Sheep Eidge, that divides the waters of the Cumber-
land Eiver from those of the Cherokee Eiver. This boundary will
give room to extend our settlements for ten or twelve years, will
raise a considerable sum by the Eights, much increase* the Quit-
rents, and enable the Inhabitants of Virginia to live thus manu-
facturing such material as they raise.
ANDREV7 LeWIS^
Thomas Walker.
Feb. 2nd. 1769.
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. * 103
Thus it will appear that Colonel Lewis and Dr. Walker suc-
ceeded in securing from the Indian chiefs the assurance that the
settlers on the land in Southwest Virginia should remain in
peaceable possession of their homes until a treaty could be held fix-
ing new bounds between them. Acting upon this assurance, emigra-
tion to the land continued, and during this year James Bryan
settled near the present residence of Captain Kendrick, Moab, Va.,
and erected Bryan's Fort, William Cocke settled upon Spring creek,
then called Eenfro's creek, and erected Cocke's fort, near the present
residence of C. L. Clyce. Anthony Bledsoe settled in the lower end
of this county about thirty miles east of Long Island, on the Fort
Chiswell road, and afterwards built Bledsoe's Fort. Amos Eaton
settled seven miles east of Long Island, where Eaton's Fort was
afterwards built, and by the beginning of the year 1770 there were
many settlers upon Holston.
The first settlers of the Liberty Hall neighborhood were the
Edmistons, Moores and Buchanans. The first name was written ■'
Edmiston until sixty or seventy years ago. All the land from (
Liberty Hall to some distance east of Friendship was held by j
William Edmiston under a grant from Charles II, King of Eng-
land, and under the King's proclamation of 1763, Edmiston being
an officer in the French-Indian war of 1754-1763.
Fort Edmiston was built by the settlers as a protection against
the Indians, who made frequent inroads on the settlements. As
nearly as can be learned, it was built about 1765.
The site was about three hundred yards east of Liberty Academy.
The old Keys' dwelling, now owned by William Snodgrass, stands
on the site of the old fort. A soldier by the name of Edmiston
died at the fort and was the first person buried in the old Moore
graveyard.
The Indians made frequent attacks on the fort and, in one, cap-
tured and carried off a Miss Steele. The Indians were followed by
parties from the fort, and she was recaptured on Walker's moun-
tain. She was traced by means of twigs, which she had presence
of mind enough to break off along the road.
Several persons from the fort were in the battle at King's Moun-
tain, among whom were the eight Edmistons and William Moore.
Several of the former were killed. They were the ancestors of
<he Edmondsons of this day.
104 • Southwest Virginia, 17J^6-1786.
Fort Edmiston was one of the first forts erected in this section.
Fort Thompson, six miles northeast of Liberty Hall, on the Huff,
formerly the Byars place, was erected about the same time. It was
named for Captain James Thompson, who owned the property at
that time, and it remained many years after the revolution.
Tradition says Fort Edmiston ceased to exist about the year
1800.
The first settlers in Widener's Valley were John Widener, Paul-
ser Eouse and John Jones. They came from Germany, a few years
prior to the Eevolutionary War, or about 1767. They first settled
in Pennsylvania, but afterwards came to this country and settled
temporarily near Fort Thompson. x\fter remaining there a short
time, they removed to the valley. John Widener located near W.
M. Widener's mill, and Jones and Eouse in the lower end of the
valley.
In order to raise money to get away from Germany, John
Widener pawned or bartered his son Mike, a boy twelve or four-
teen years old. John Widener found employment in Pennsylvania,
and earned money enough to redeem Mike. Mike tlien followed
his father to the New World. He arrived just about the commence-
ment of the revolution, joined Washington's army, was a brave sol-
dier, acted as interpreter when the Hessians were captured, and
appears to have been a favorite of Washington's, who called him
"Mikey."
After the revolution Mike followed his father and settled in the
valley on what is now known as the Lilburn Widener farm. Mike
died at the age of eighty-four. Joel Widener, now living, is a
grandson. The present generation are all descendants of John
and Mike. Several families of Eouses, descendants of Paulser, still
live in the valley.
At the time of these early settlements there were a good many
Indians hunting and fishing in and near the valley. They were
very peaceable, however. Two large Indian camps were established
— one on the Middle Fork at a point east of the New Bridge; the
other in the lower end of the valley. Of the latter many evidences
still remain.
John and Michael Fleenor settled in Poor Valley; Casper Flee-
nor in Eich Valley, on the head waters of what is now called Gas-
per's creek, and Nicholas Fleenor settled at the Lilburn Fleenor
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 105
place in Eich Valley, below Benhams. The four persons named
were of German descent and brothers, and are the ancestors of
many of our best citizens.
At this point it may be appropriate to give a description of the
early forts erected by the settlers in the West.
My readers will understand by this term, not only a place of de-
fence, but the residence of a small number of families belonging
to the neighborhood.
As the Indian's mode of warfare was an indiscriminate slaugh-
ter of all ages and both sexes, it was as requisite to provide for the
safety of the women and children as for that of the men. The fort
consisted of cabins, block-houses and stockades. A range of cabins
commonly formed one side, at least, of the fort. Divisions or par-
titions of logs separated the cabins one from another. The walls
on the outside were ten or twelve feet high, the slope of the roof
being turned wholly inward. Very few of these cabins had plank
floors ; the greater part were earthen.
The block-houses were built at the angles of the fort. They pro-
jected about two feet beyond the outer walls of the cabins and
stockades. Their upper stories were about eighteen inches, every
way, larger in dimension than the under one, leaving an opening
at the commencement of the second story to prevent the enemy
from making a lodgement under their walls.
In some forts, instead of block-houses, the angles of the fort
were finished with bastions. A large folding gate, made of thick
slabs nearest the spring, closed the fort.
The stockades, bastions, cabins and block-house walls were fur-
nished with port-holes at proper heights and distances. The whole
of the outside was made bullet-proof. It may be truly said that
"necessity is the mother of invention," for the whole of this
work was made without the aid of a shingle, nail, or spike of iron,
because such things were not to be had. In some places less exposed
a single block-house, with a cabin or two, constituted the whole
fort.*
In this same year Daniel Boone, John Finley, John Stuart and
a few others, as well as numerous other companies of hunters who
are of no importance in the history of this country, explored Ken-
*Dodridge.
106 Southwest Virginia, 17Jk6-n86.
tucky and hunted throughout Southwest Virginia, East Tennes-
see and Eastern Kentucky.
In the year 1769 there occurred a circumstance that greatly aided
the early settlers of Southwest Virginia and Eastern Tennessee in
settling this country and in conquering their Indian neighbors, the
Cherokees.
The Cherokee Indians were exceedingly overbearing in their dis-
position and they sought a quarrel with the Chickasaw Indians and
invaded their country.
When they had reached the Chickasaw Old Fields, they were met
by the Chickasaw warriors. After a terrible battle the Cherokees
were defeated with great loss and retreated to their own villages.
The very flower of the Cherokee Nation were destroyed in this bat-
tle, and, the number of their warriors being greatly reduced, for
seven years the early settlers were permitted to pursue their course
in peace.
All of the incidents above related occurred while the lands, now
included in Washington county, were a part of Augusta county, but
in the year 1769, the House of Burgesses of Virginia passed an act
for the division of Augusta county, and all that part of Augusta
county lying south and west of the North river, near Lexington,
Va., was given the name of Botetourt county, and thus a new county
was formed, which included all that part of Virginia in which we
live and about which I write.
The act establishing Botetourt county provided that from and
after the 31st day of January next ensuing, 1770, the said county
and parish of Augusta be divided into two counties and parishes by
a line beginning at the Blue Eidge, running north 55 degrees west
to the confluence of Mary's creek, or the South river, with the north
branch of James river, thence up the same to the mouth of Carr's
creek, thence up said creek to the mountain, thence north 55 degrees
west as far as the courts of the two counties had it extended, and
further. Whereas the people situated on the waters of the Mis-
sisippi in the said county of Botetourt will be very remote from
their courthouse and must necessarily become a separate county as
soon as their numbers are sufficient, which probably will happen in
a short time, be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid that
the inhabitants of that part of said county of Botetourt which lies
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 107
on the said waters shall be exempted from the payment of any
levies to be laid by the said county court for the purpose of building
a courthouse and prison for said county.
It will thus be seen that the organization of the county of Bote-
tourt was intended to be temporary only.
108 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
CHAPTEE V.
SOUTHWEST VIEGINIA— BOTETOUET COUNTY.
1770-1773.
The first Coimty Court of Botetourt county met at the house of
Eobert Breckenridge^ near the location of Fincastle, Va., on Tues-
day, the 13th of February, 1770. The justices composing the court
were :
^William Preston, David Eobinson,
George Skillem, James Trimble
Eichard Woods, John Maxwell
Benjamin Hawkins, William Fleming,
Benjamin Estill, Israel Christian,
John Bowyer, Jlobert Breckenridge.
A number of the members of this court were not present on the
first day of the court, but were subsequently qualified. The follow-
ing officers qualified on that day:
County Court Clerk, John May.
Sheriff Botetourt county, Eichard Woods.
Deputy Sheriffs Botetourt county, Jas. McDowell and Jas. Mc-
Gavock.
County Surveyor, William Preston.
Escheator, William Preston.
Coroner, Andrew Lewis.
Colonel of Militia, William Preston.
The attorneys qualifying to practice in the court were:
Edmund Winston, John Aylett,
Luke Bowyer, Thomas Madison.
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 109
On the 14tli day of February, 1770, the following magistrates
qualified and took their seats :
John Bowman, Anthony Bledsoe,
AVilliam Christian, Walter Crockett,
Robert Doach, John Howard,
William Herbert, William Inglis,
Phili]) Love, Andrew Lewis,
John Montgomery, James McGavock,
William Matthews, William McKee,
James Eobertson, Francis Smith,
Stephen Trigg, Andrew Woods.
And on the 11th day of June, 1771, the following members of the
court qualified:
John Van Bebber, James Thompson, of Holstou,
John Stewart, Matthew Arbuckle.
Botetourt county was named for Lord Botetourt, Governor of
Virginia, in 1768, and the county seat was fixed at the present loca-
tion of Finscastle, Va., upon forty acres of land presented to the
county for a town seat by Israel Christian. Fincastle was named
for the county seat of Lord Botetourt in England, and was estab-
lished as a town by law in 1772.
Of the members of the County Court of Botetourt county, James
Eobertson, Anthony Bledsoe and James Thompson had their resi-
dence upon the waters of the Holston and the Watauga. On the
second day of the court, being February 14, 1770, Frederick Stern
and Eobert Davis were appointed constables upon the Holston river ;
on the 12th of June, 1770, William Pruitt was appointed a con-
stable upon the waters of the Clinch, and Arthur Campbell was
appointed surveyor of the roads from the State line to the Eoyal
Oak, and James Davis from the Eoyal Oak to his house.
On the 13th of March, 1770, Arthur Campbell obtained permis-
sion from the County Court of Botetourt county to erect a mill at
Eoyal Oak, on the Holston, and there can be no question that this
was the first mill erected upon any of the waters of the Holston or
Clinch river.
On the same day Francis Kincannon was appointed surveyor of
the roads from Stalnaker's to Eighteen Mile creek; Thomas Eam-
110 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
say from said creek to Beaver, or Shallow, creek, and David Looney
from said creek to Fall creek.
On the 10th of May, 1770, xVnthony Bledsoe was appointed to
take the tithables from Stalnaker's to the lowest inhabitants.
The next order of the County Court of Botetourt county, of any
importance in the history of this county, was made on the 14th of
August, 1771, when the County Court ordered that Andrew Colvill,
George Adams, George Tiller, George Baker, David Ward and
Alexander Wilie, or any three of them, being first sworn to view
the way from the head of Holston river to the Wolf Hill creek, both
the old and the new way, make report to the next court of the con-
veniences and inconveniences thereof. The records of Botetourt
county fail to show that this report was ever made or that the road
was established, but there can be but little doubt that the road was
established and used, and, if so, this was the first public road estab-
lished upon the waters of the Holston or Clinch river. The fore-
going is all the information that the records of Botetourt county
give of any of the people living upon the waters of the Holston and
Clinch rivers.
The one matter of supreme importance to the inhabitants of this
section of Virginia at that time was the extinguishment of the
claims of the Cherokee Indians to the lands which they were set-
tling and occupying, and, pursuant to instructions, John Stuart,
Superintendent of Indian Affairs, assembled the Indian chiefs at
Lochaber, S. C, October 18, 1770, and on Monday, October 22,
1770, he succeeded in concluding a treaty with the chiefs and war-
riors of the Cherokee Nation, by which George III, King of Eng-
land, became the owner of all the lands lying east of a line
beginning at a point where the North Carolina (now Tennessee)
line terminates at a run, thence in a west course to Holston river,
where it is intersected by a continuation of the line dividing the
Province of North Carolina (now Tennessee) and Virginia, and
thence in a straight course to the confluence of the Great Canaway
river, the treaty being here given in full :
TREATY.
At a meeting of the principal Chiefs and Warriors of the Cherokee
Nation with John Stuart, Esq., Superintendent of Indian Affairs,
etc., Lochaber, South Carolina, Oct. 18th, 1770.
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. Ill
Present Colo. Donelson by appointment of his Excellency, the
Eight Honorable Lord Botetourt, in behalf of the Province of Vir-
ginia.
Alex'r Cameron, Deputy Superintendent ; James Simpson, Clk of
his Majesty's Council of South Carolina; Major Lacy, from Vir-
ginia ; Major Williamson, Capt. Cohoon, John Caldwell, Esq., Cap-
tain Winter, Christopher Peters, Esq., besides a great number of the
back inhabitants of the province of South Carolina, and the fol-
lowing chiefs of the Cherokee Nation: Oconistoto, Killagusta, At-
tacallaculla, Keyatory, Tiftoy, Terreaino, Encyod Tugalo, Scali-
loskie Chinista, Chinista of Watangali, Octaciti of Hey Wassie, and
about a thousand other Indians of the same Nation.
John Watts, 'j '
David McDonald, I Interpreters.
John Vans, j
Treaty, Monday, 22nd Oct.
At a Congress of the principal chiefs of the Cherokee Nation, held
at Lochaber, in the province of South Carolina^ on the 18th day
of October in the year of our Lord 1770, by John Stuart, Esq., his
Majesty's agent for and Superintendent of the Affairs of the In-
dian Nation in the Southern district of North America.
A Treaty for a cession ! His most sacred Majesty, George the
Third, by the grace of God of Great Britain, France and Ireland,
King, Defender of the Faith, etc., by the said Nation of Cherokee
Indians, of certain lands lying within the limits of the Dominion of
Virginia.
Whereas by a Treaty entered into and concluded at Hard Labor,
the 14th day of Oct. in the year 1768, by John Stuart, Esq. his
Majesty's Agent for and Superintendent of the affairs of the In-
dian Nations, inhabiting the southern district of North America,
with the principal and ruling Chiefs of the Cherokee Nation, all of
the lands formerly claimed by, and belonging to the said Nation of
Indians, lying within the province of North Carolina and Virginia,
running in a N. B. E. course, to Colo. Chiswell's mine on the East-
ern bank of the Great Canaway, and from thence in a straight line
to the mouth of the said Great Canaway river, where it discharges
itself into the Ohio river, were ceded to his most sacred Majesty, his
113 Southwest Virginia, 17J,6-1786.
heirs and sucessors. And whereas by the above recited Treaty, all
the lands lying between Holston's Eiver, and the line above specified
were determined to belong to the Cherokee Nation to the great loss
and inconvenience of many of his Majesty's subjects inhabiting the
said lands; and representation of the same having been made to
his Majesty by his Excellency, the Et Hon'ble ISTorborne, Baron de
Botetourt, his Majesty's Lieutenant and Governor General of the
dominion of Virginia. In Consequence whereof, his Majesty has
been generously pleased to signify his Eoyal pleasure to John Stu-
art, Esq., his Agent for and Superintendent of Indian Affairs in the
Southern District of North America, by an instruction contained
in a letter from the Et. Hon'ble the Earl of Hillsborough, one of
his Majesty's principal Secretaries of State, dated the 13th of May,
1769, to enter into a negotiation with the Cherokees for establishing
a new boundary line beg'g at the point where the No. Carolina line
terminates, and to run thence in a west course to Holston's Eiver,
where it is intersected by a continuance of the line dividing the
province of North Carolina & Virginia, and thence a straight course
to the confluence of the Great Canaway and Ohio Elvers.
Dec. 12, 1770.
Article 1st.
Pursuant therefore to his Majesty's orders to & power and autho-
rity vested in John Stuart, Esqr. Agent for and Superintendent of
the Affairs of the Indian Tribes in the Southern District: It is
agreed upon by the said John Stuart, Esqr. on behalf of his most
sacred Majesty, George Third, by the grace of God, of Great
Britain, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, etc., and
by the subscribing Cherokee Chiefs and Warriors on behalf of their
said Nation in consideration of his Majesty's paternal goodness, so
often demonstrated to them, the said Cherokee Indians, and from
their affection and friendship for their Brethren, the Inhabi-
tants of Virginia as well as their earnest desire of removing as far
as possible all cause of dispute between them and the said inhabi-
tants on account of encroachments on lands reserved by the said In-
dians for themselves, and also for a valuable consideration in
various sorts of goods paid to them by the said John Stuart, on
behalf of the Dominion of Virginia that the hereafter recited line be
ratified and confirmed, and it is hereby ratified and confirmed ac-
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 113
cordingly : and it is by these presents firmly stipulated and agreed
iipon by the parties aforesaid that a line beginning where the boun-
dary line between the province of No. Carolina and the Cherokee
hunting grounds terminates and running thence in a west course
to a point six miles east of Long Island in Holston's river and thence
to said river six miles above the said Long Island, thence in a
course to the confluence of the Great Canaway and Ohio rivers,
shall remain and be deemed by all his Majesty's white subjects
as well as all the Indians of the Cherokee Nation, the true and
just boundaries of the lands reserved by the said Nation of Indians
for their own proper use, and dividing the same from the lands
ceded by them to his Majesty's within the limits of the province of
Virginia, and that his Majesty's white subjects, inhabiting the pro-
vince of Virginia, shall not, upon any pretense whatsoever, settle
beyond the said line, nor shall the said Indians make any settlements
or encroachments on the lands which by this treaty they cede and
confirm to his Majesty; and it is further agreed that as soon as his
Majesty's royal approbation of this treaty shall have been signified
to the Governor of Virginia or Superintendent, this treaty shall be
carried into execution.
Article 2nd.
And it is further agreed upon and stipulated by the contracting
parties, that no alteration whatsoever shall henceforward be made in
the boundary line above recited, and now solemnly agreed upon, ex-
cept such as may hereafter be found expedient and necessary for
the mutual interest of both parties, and which alteration shall be
made with the consent of the Superintendent or such other person
or persons as shall be authorized by his Majesty, as well as with the
consent and approbation of the Cherokee Nation of Indians, at a
Congress or general meeting of said Indians, to be held for said
purpose, and not in any other manner.
In testimony whereof, the said Superintendent, on behalf of his
Majesty, and the underwritten Cherokee Chiefs on behalf of their
Nation have signed and sealed this present treaty at the time and
place aforesaid.
John Stuart, (L. S.)
Oconistoto, YC, (L. C.)
Kittagusta, 0., (L. C.)
114 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
Attacallaculla, X., (L. C.)
Keyatoy's mark ISTG., (L. C.)
Unkayonla, C, (L. C.)
Chuckamuntas, C, (L. C)
Kinalilaps, NG., (L. C.)
Skyagusta Tucelicis, S., (L. C.)
Wolf of Keewees, G., (L. C.)
Skyagusta Tiftoy, (L. C.)
Terrapino, (L. C.)
Ency of Tugalo, (L. C.)
Scalil^^skey of Sugar Town, (L. C.)
Thus all claim asserted by both the northern and southern In-
dians to any of the lands located within the present bounds of
Washington county was extinguished, and the settlement of these
lands was greatly expedited thereby. This portion of Virginia now
opened to settlement was one vast forest overspreading a limestone
soil of great fertility and excellently watered, and this, accompa-
nied by the comparative security and quiet succeeding the French-
Indian war of 1763, contributed greatly to the rapid settlement of
Southwestern Virginia.
In the year 1770, Col. James Knox,* accompanied by about
forty hunters from the settlements on New river, Holston and
Clinch, passed oved the Cumberland mountains for the purpose of
hunting and trapping, and penetrated to the lower Cumberland.
They were equipped with their rifles, traps and dogs, and the
usual outfit of backwoods hunters, and thus originated the name
Long Hunters. The usual mode of hunting followed by what were
known as the Long Hunters, in those days, was for not more than
two or three men to go in one company, each man having two
horses, traps, a large surplus of powder and lead, a small hand vise
and bellows and files and screw plates for the purpose of fixing
guns, if any should get out of fix. They usually set out from their
homes about the first of October and returned the latter part of
March or first of April. The most noted Long Hunters were
Elisha Walden, William Carr, William Crabtree, James Aldridge,
William Pitman and Henry Scaggs.
During the season above mentioned, large numbers of hunters
*Afterwards Gen. Knox. The last named erected a fort near the present
site of Kiioxville, Tenn., to which was given the name of Fort Knox.
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 115
visited the valleys of the Holston, Clinch and Powell's rivers, and
oftentimes penetrated into the very heart of Kentucky.
In the year 1771, Absalom Looney settled in Abb's Valley, Taze-
well county, Virginia, and from him the valley received its name.
Thomas Witten and John Greenup settled at Crab Orchard, a few
miles west of Tazewell C. H. ; Mathias, Jacob and Henry Harmon
settled a few miles east of Tazewell C. H., and John Craven,
Joseph Martin, John Henry, James King and John Bradshaw set-
tled in Tazewell county, on the headwaters of the Clinch.
In the year 1771, a company of about twenty men from near
the Natural Bridge in Virginia and from the New river settle-
ments met about eight miles below Fort Chiswell on New river,
whence they traveled to the head of the Holston, and thence down
the Holston Valley, and on into Kentucky, where they continued
to hunt for about nine months.
The Holston settlements received during this year a large num-
ber of emigrants from North Carolina. The government of North
Carolina was in the hands of a class of people who were very
haughty and oppressive in their manner towards the poorer classes
of citizens, which caused great numbers of the people of North
Carolina to organize themselves into bands called Regulators.
They petitioned Governor Tryon for relief, which was denied; tu-
mult and violence succeeded, the courts were prevented from sit-
ting and the laws were disobeyed. The principal ground of com-
plaint was that the people were taxed without the right to vote and
send representatives to the House of Commons of North Carolina.
About three thousand Eegulators banded themselves together, and
on the 16th of May, 1771, a battle was fought at the Alamance,
between the Regulators and the forces commanded by Governor
Tryon. The Regulators, being undisciplined and poorly armed,
were defeated with the loss of nine killed and many wounded, the
Governor's forces having lost twenty-seven killed and many
wounded. And thus it is said was fought the first battle of the
Revolution, and thus was shed the first blood for the enjoyment
of liberty. The Eegulators being thus defeated and dispersed,
many of their number found homes on the waters of the Holston
and Clinch rivers. At this time the settlements extended down the
north side of the Holston river as far as Carter's Valley, about
fourteen or fifteen miles above Rogersville, Tenn., and that por-
116 Southivest Virginia, 17J,6-17S6.
tion of the country being supposed to be a part of Virginia, it was
soon settled by people from the Wolf Hills in Virginia.
A settlement was made on the Watauga as early as the year 1770,
upon the idea that the lands were in Virginia, and that the set-
tlers would be entitled to take up the lands given to settlers under
the laws of Virginia, to-wit: To each actual settler who should
erect a log cabin and cultivate one acre in corn, four hundred acres,
located so as to include all improvements, with the right to buy
a thousand acres adjoining at a nominal price. Most of the early
settlers on the Watauga came from near the Wolf Hills and, being
loyal Virginians, they did not contemplate establishing a residence
in the State of North Carolina, but thought they were near the
boundary between the two States.
In the fall of the year 1771, Anthony Bledsoe ran the boundary
line between the Colonies of Virginia and North Carolina, far
enough west to ascertain that the Watauga settlement was in North
Carolina, and Alexander Cameron, the British agent, immediately
ordered the settlers on the Watauga to move off of the Indian lands.
James Eobertson and John Sevier, two of the leading members
of the Watauga settlement, immediately set about to devise ways
and means by which they could avoid the order of the British
agent. They could not buy the lands from the Indians, because
the purchase was prohibited, but there was no law prohibiting a
lease of the land, and in the year 1774, the Indians leased to the
settlers on the Watauga the lands in the Watauga Valley and all
was peace once again.
The stream of emigration that poured over the mountains ex-
tended along the Holston as far as Carter's Valley and on the lands
belonging to the Indians. They were all from Virginia and of
Scotch-Irish descent, their wealth consisting of strong arms and
stout hearts.
In the year 1772, James Moore and James Poage settled in
Abb's Valley, William Wynn at Locust Hill, John Taylor and
Jesse Evans on the north fork of Clinch ; Thomas Maxwell, Benja-
min Joslin, James Ogleton, Peter and Jacob Harmon, Samuel
Ferguson and William Webb, near Tazewell C. H.; Eees Bowen,
at Maiden Spring, David Ward in the Cove, and William Garri-
son at the foot of Morris' Knob. William Wynn erected a fort on
Soufhwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 117
Wynn's Branch, Thomas Witten at Crab Orchard, and Bees
Bowen at Maiden Spring.
The earlj/Settlers of Southwest Virginia came principally from
the Valley^of Virginia, western Pennsylvania and Maryland, some
of them coming directly from Ireland. They were of a mixed
race, and a large majority were Scotch-Irish. In studying the
nationality of the early settlers of Southwest Virginia, it must
be kept in mind that there was a great difference between the
people inhabiting the eastern shores of Virginia and the early set-
tlers in the mountains of western Virginia. They differed both in
their ancestry and in their religion.
The early settlers of Eastern Virginia were English by birth and /
Episcopalians in religion; while the early settlers of Southwest
Virginia were Scotch-Irish by birth and Presbyterians in religious j
belief. '
The government of the Colony of Virginia, early in the eigh-
teenth century, adopted the policy of offering inducements to the
dissenters from the established church to settle and make their
homes in the Valley of Virginia and in the Southwest, and thereby
sought to establish a barrier between the Indian tribes and the set-
tlers east of the mountains.
In the adoption of this policy the government of the Colony of
Virginia was actuated by selfish motives; they little dreamed that
they were thus giving a foothold to a vigorous people, who were
destined tp play a strong part in the future history of their
country.
The people thus invited to settle the garden spot of Virginia
were the sons of the men who followed Cromwell. They were men
who regarded themselves, according to Macaulay, as "kings by the
right of an earlier creation and priests by the interposition of an
Almighty hand." King James I, when speaking of a Scotch Pres-
bytery, said, "Presbytery agreeth as well with monarchy as God and
the devil." They were Protestants and detested the Catholics, the
enemies of their forefathers, and they despised the Episcopalians,
their oppressors. They constituted the outposts of our earlier civiliza-
tion, their homes being in the moimtains. A distinguished writer,
in speaking of these people, says : "That these Irish Presbyte-
rians M^ere a bold and hardy race is proved by their at once pushing
past tlic settled regions and plunging into the wilderness as the
118 Southwest Virginia, 17Jf6-1786.
leaders of the white advance. They were the first and last set of
emigrants to do this; all others have merely followed in the wake
of their predecessors. But indeed they were fitted to be Americans
from the very start; they were the kinsfolk of the Covenanters:
they deemed it a religious duty to interpret their own Bible, and
held for a divine right the election of their own clergy. The creed
of the backwoodsmen who had a creed at all was Presbyterianism,
for the Episcopacy of the tidewater lands obtained no foothold in
the mountains, and the Methodists and Baptists had but just be-
gun to appear in the west,* before the Revolution broke out."
Governor David Campbell, who lived and died at Abingdon, in
speaking of these people, says : "The first settlers on Holston river
were a remarkable race of people, for their intelligence, enterprise
and hardy adventure." The greater portion of them had emi-
grated from the counties of Botetourt, Augusta and Frederick, and
others from along the same valley and from the upper counties
of Maryland and Pennsylvania, and generally, where they had any
religious opinions, were Presbyterians.
A very large proportion were religious, and many were mem-
bers of' the church. It is generally supposed that the motive
actuating the early explorers and settlers of this country was the
acquisition of wealth, and while • such motive may have had its
influence on some, we cannot believe that such was the real motive
of the great body of our early settlers. The early settlers and
forefathers had been persecuted in their homes across the Atlantic
because of their independent . spirit and their undying fealty to
the doctrines taught by Calvin and Knox ; and when they crossed
the waters they were driven, by the intolerant spirit of the estab-
lished church, beyond the lowlands to the very mountains, where
they sought a place and opportunity to exercise their religion ac-
cording to the dictates of their consciences. The important part
played by this people in the early history of our country cannot be
overestimated.
Our forefathers were inspired and governed by the same senti-
ments that actuated the founders of our nation. The theology of
Calvin, the founder of the republic of Geneva, combined with the
sturdy independence of the Scotch-Irish settlers of the American
colonies, gave birth to our republic. "The first voice raised in
*The Winning of the West, Vol. I., page 138.
Soutliwest Virginia, 171^6-1786. 119
America to destroy all connection with Great Britain came from
the Scotch-Irish Presbyterians.*"
The Hon. Wm. C. Preston, of South Carolina, a native of Wash-
ington county, in speaking of the resemblance between the consti-
tution of the Presbyterian Church and the constitution of our
country, said : "Certainly it was the most remarkable and singular
coincidence that the constitution of the Presbyteilian Chuj-ch
should bear such a close and striking resemblance to the political con-
stitution of our country." f
Not only were they the first to demand the separation of the
colonies from the mother country, but they were the first to de-
mand religious liberty and the separation of Church and State.
Hanover Presbytery, of which the Eev. Chas. Cummings was an
honored member, prepared a petition with this object in view and
presented it to the General Assembly of Virginia on the 24th of
October, 1776, the petition being as follows:
"A memorial of the Presbytery of Hanover was presented to the
House, and read : setting forth that they are governed by the same
sentiments which have inspired the United States of America,
and are determined that nothing in their power and influence shall
be wanting to give success to the common cause : that Dissenters
from the Church of England in this country have ever been desir-
ous to conduct themselves as peaceable members of the civil gov-
ernment, for which reason they have hitherto submitted to several
ecclesiastick burthens and restrictions, that are inconsistent with
equal liberty, but that now when the many and grievous oppres-
sions of our mother country have laid this continent under the
necessity of casting off the yoke of tyranny, and of forming inde-
pendent governments, upon equitable and liberal foundations, they
flatter themselves they shall be freed from all the encumbrances
which a spirit of domination, prejudice or bigotry hath interwoven
with most other political systems : that they are more strongly en-
couraged to expect this, by the declaration of rights, so universally
applauded for the dignity, firmness and precision with which it
delineates and asserts the privileges of society and the prerogatives
of human nature, and which they embrace as the Magna Charta of
the Commonwealth, which can never be violated without endanger-
*Bancroft's His. U. S., Vol. X., page 77.
t Scotch-Irish Seeds, page 346.
120 Southwest Virginia, 17Jf6-1780.
ing the grand superstructure it was destined to support: There-
fore they rely upon this declaration, as well as the justice of the
Legislature, to secure to them the free exercise of their religion,
according to the dictates of their consciences : and that they should
fall short in their duty to themselves and to the many and nu-
merous congregations under their care, were they upon this occasion
to neglect laying before the House a statement of the religious griev-
ances under which they have hitherto labored, that they may no
longer be continued in the present form of government: that it
is well known that in the frontier counties which are justly sup-
posed to contain a fifth part of the inliabitants of Virginia, the
dissenters have borne the heavy burthens of purchasing glebes and
supporting the established clergy, where there are very few Episco-
palians either to assist in bearing the expense or to reap the ad-
vantage: and that throughout the other parts of the country there
are also many thousands of zealous friends and defenders of the
State who, besides the invidious disadvantageous restrictions to
which they have been subjected annually, pay large taxes to sup-
port an establishment from which their consciences and principles
oblige them to dissent, all which are so many violations of their
natural rights, and in their consequences a restraint upon freedom
of inquiry and private judgment. In this enlightened age, and in
a land where all are united in the most strenuous efforts to be free,
they hope and expect that their representatives will cheerfully
concur in removing every species of religious as well as civil bond-
age. That every argument for civil liberty gains additional
strength when applied to liberty in the concerns of religion, and
that there is no argument in favor of establishing the Christian
religion but what may be pleaded for establishing the tenets of Ma-
homet by those who believe in the Alcoran : or, if this be not true,
it is at least impossible for the magistrate to adjudge the right
of preference among the various sects which profess the Christian
faith, without erecting a chair of infallibility which would lead us
back to the Church of Eome. That they beg leave farther to repre-
sent that religious establishments are highly injurious to the tem-
poral interests of any community, without insisting upon the ambi-
tion and the arbitrary practices of those who aro favored by govern-
ment, or the intriguing seditious spirit which is commonly excited
by this, as well as every other kind of oppression. Such establish-
Southwest Virginia, nJf6-1786. 131
ments greatly retard population and consequently the progress of
arts, sciences and manufactures: witness the rapid growth and
improvement of the northern provinces compared with this. That
no one can deny the more early settlement, and the many supe-
rior advantages of our country, would have invited multitudes
of artificers, mechanics and other useful members of society, to fix
their habitation among us, who have either remained in the place
ef their nativity, or preferred worse civil government, and a more
barren soil, where they might enjoy the rights of conscience more
fully than they had a prospect of doing in this : from which they
infer that Virginia might now have been the capital of America,
and a match for the British arms, without depending upon others
for the necessaries of war, had it not been prevented by her reli-
gious establishment. jSTeither can it be made appear that the gos-
pel needs any such civil aid : they rather conceive that when our
Blessed Savior declares his kingdom is not of this world, he
renounces dependence upon State power, and as his weapons are
spiritual and were only designed to have influence upon the judg-
ment and heart of man, they are persuaded that if mankind were
left in the quiet possession of their unalienable privileges, Chris-
tianity, as in the days of the Apostles, would continue to prevail
and flourish in the greatest purity by its own native excellence,
and under the all-disposing providence of God. That they would
also humbly represent, that the only proper objects of civil gov-
ernment are the happiness and protection of men in the present
state of existence, the security of the life, liberty and property of
the citizens, and to restrain the vicious and encourage the virtuous
by wholesome laws, equally extending to every individual : but that
the duty they owe their Creator, and the manner of discharging it,
can only be directed by reason and conviction, and is nowhere
cognizable but at the tribunal of the universal judge, and that
therefore they ask no ecclesiastical establishments for themselves,
neither can they approve of them when granted to others, and earn-
estly entreating that all laws now in force in this Commonwealth
which countenance religious denominations may be speedily re-
pealed, that all and every religious sect may be protected in the
full exercise of their several modes of worship, and exempted from
the payment of all taxes for the support of any church whatever.
122
Southivest Virginia, 171,6-1786.
farther than wliat may be agreeable to their own private choice, or
voluntary obligations."*
But few of the inhabitants of this beautiful country at the
present time have even a slight idea of the dangers and priva-
tions endured by the early settlers, the dim shadows of which are
vanishing like the tints in a dissolving scene. The men who
worked their way from tlie settlements in the valley to their future
The First Temjiles.
home, groping through the forest without a road and with nothing
to guide them in their course, except the trail of the Indian and
the buffalo ; at night resting on the ground with no roof over them
save the branches of the mighty oak or the broad expanse of
heaven; exploring an unknown wilderness, surrounded by insur-
mountable obstacles and momentarily threatened with assault from
their deadly enemies, the rattlesnake, the Indian and the wild beast
of the forest, but always accompanied by a trust in their God,
came, "with the Bible in one hand and a cross in the other, tread-
ing the sombre shades of these dark old woods and often with a
boulder of granite for a footstool, and the eternal cataracts thundcr-
*Journal Va. House of Delegates, 1776.
resolution by many years.
This petition preceded Jefferson
Southwest Virginia, 17J^6-1786. 123
ing amid the everlasting solitudes for an organ, these devout men
Avorshipped their God according to the dictates of their consciences."
Each emigrant brought with him some clothes, a little bedding,
guns and ammunition, cooking utensils, seed corn, an axe, a saw
and the Bible. Such were the men and the manner of their com-
ing, who cleared the forests and opened the beautiful and rich
farms that are now spread out upon our. hills and mountain sides
and grassy plains.
The early settlers in their intercourse with others were kind,
beneficent and disinterested: extending to all the most generous
hospitality that their circumstances could afford. That selfish-
ness which prompts to liberality for the sake of remuneration and
professes the civilities of life with an eye to individual interest
was unknown to them. They were kind for kindness' sake and
sought no other recompense than the never failing concomitant
of good deeds, the reward of an approving conscience.
There existed in each settlement a -perfect unison of feeling.
Similitude of situation and community of danger operated as a
magic charm and stifled in their birth those little bickerings which
are so apt to disturb the quiet of society.*
Ambition of preferment, the pride of place, too often hin-
drances to social intercourse, were unknown among them. Equal-
ity of condition rendered them strangers alike to the baneful dis-
tinctions of wealth and other adventitious circumstances, a sense
of mutual dependence for their common security, linked them in
amity and they conducted their several purposes in harmonious con-
cert; together they toiled and together they suffered. Such were
the pioneers of the Southwest; and the greater part of mankind
might now derive advantage from the contemplation of their "hum-
ble virtues, their hospitable homes, their spirits potential, noble,
proud and free, their self-respect grafted on innocent thoughts,
their days of health and nights of sleep, their toils, by dangers
dignified, yet guiltless, their hopes of cheerful old age and a quiet
grave with cross and garland over its green turf and their grand-
children's love for an epitaph."*
The early settlers of this section of Virginia were a strong,
stern people, simple in their habits, God-fearing in their practices,
imbibing the spirit of freedom, such as is usually found among the
*Dodridge.
124 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
inhabitants of a mountainous country, kind in their disposition
towards the well-disposed and unmerciful in their dealings with
their enemies. They were upright in all their dealings, fearless
advocates of the right and undying lovers of their country.
Dr. Dodridge, an author who wrote from his personal knowl-
edge, says that "linsey coats and bed-gowns, were the universal dress
of the women in the early times." The weed, now known among
us as the "wild nettle," then furnished the material which served
to clothe the persons of our sires and dames." It was cut down
while yet green and treated much in the same manner in which
flax is now treated.
The fibrous bark, with the exception of the shortness of the
fibres, seemed to be adapted to the same uses. When this "flax,"
if I may so term it, was prepared, it was mixed with buffalo hair,
and woven into a substantial cloth in which the men and women
were clothed. It is a true maxim, "Necessity is the mother of
invention."
"The furniture of the table, for several years after the settle-
ment of this country, consisted of a few pewter dishes, plates and
spoons; but mostly of wooden bowls, trenchers and noggins. If
these last were scarce, gourds and hard-shelled squashes made up
the deficiency. Iron pots, knives and forks were brought from the
East, with the salt and iron on horseback."
"In our whole display of furniture, the delft, china and silver
were unknown. It did not then, as now, require contributions
from the four quarters of the globe to furnish the breakfast table,
viz., the silver from Mexico, the coffee from the West Indies, the
tea from China and the delft or porcelain from Europe or Asia.
Yet, a homely fare, unsightly cabins and furniture produced a
hardy race, who planted the first footsteps of civilization in the
immense regions of the West. Inured to hardship, bravery and
labor from their early youth, they sustained with manly fortitude
the fatigue of the chase, the campaign and scout, and with 'strong
arms turned the wilderness into fruitful fields,' and have left to
their descendants the rich inheritance of an immense empire
blessed with peace, wealth and prosperity."*
"For a long time after the settlement of this country, the in-
*Bickley.
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 125
habitants in general married young. There was no distinction of
rank and very little of fortune. On these accounts the first impres-
sion of love resulted in marriage, and a family establishment cost
but little labor and nothing else.
"A description of a wedding from beginning to end will serve
to show the manners of our forefathers and mark the grade of civi-
lization which has succeeded to their rude state of society, in the
course of a few years.
"In the first years of the settlement of a country, a wedding en-
gaged the attention of the whole neighborhood, and the frolic was
anticipated by young and old with eager expectation. This is not
to be wondered at when it is told that a wedding was almost the
only gathering which was not accompanied with the labor of reap-
ing, log-rolling, building a cabin, or planning some scout or cam-
paign. On the morning of the wedding day the groom and his at-
tendants assembled at the house of his father for the purpose of
reaching the home of his bride by noon, which was the usual time
for celebrating the nuptials and which, for certain reasons, must
take place before dinner.
"Let the reader imagine an assemblage of people without a
store, tailor or mantua-maker within a hundred miles, and an as-
semblage of horses without a blacksmith or saddle within an equal
distance. The gentlemen dressed in shoepacks, moccasins, leather
breeches, leggings, linsey hunting shirts, and all home-made. The
ladies dressed in linsey petticoats and linsey or linen bed-gowns,
coarse shoes, stockings and handkerchiefs and buckskin gloves, if
any. If there were any rings, buckles, buttons or ruffles, they were
the relics of olden times; family pieces from parents or grand-
parents. The horses were caparisoned with old saddles, old bridles
or halters, and pack-saddles with a bag or blanket thrown over
them; a rope or string as often constituted the girth as a piece of
leather.
"The march, in double file, was often interrupted by the narrow-
ness of our mountain paths, as they were called, for we had no
roads, and these difficulties were often increased by the good and
sometimes the ill-will of neighbors by felling trees and tying grape-
vines across the way. Sometimes an ambuscade was formed by
the wayside, and an unexpected discharge of several guns took
126 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
place, so as to cover the wedding party with smoke. Let the reader
imagine the scene which followed this discharge ; the sudden spring
of the horses, the shrieks of the girls and the chivalrous bustle of
their partners to save them from falling. Sometimes, in spite of
all that could be done to prevent it, some were thrown to the
ground. If a wrist, elbow or ankle happened to be sprained, it was
tied up with a handkerchief, and little more said or thought
about it.
"The ceremony of the marriage preceded the dinner, which was
a substantial backwoods feast of beef, pork, fowls, and sometimes
venison and bear meat roasted and boiled with plenty of potatoes,
cabbage and other vegetables. During the dinner the greatest
hilarity prevailed. The table might be a large slab of timber,
hewed out with a broad-axe, supported by four sticks, set in auger
holes; and the furniture, some old pewter dishes and plates; the
rest, wooden bowls and trenchers: a few pewter spoons much bat-
tered about the edges were to be seen at some tables. The rest were
made of horn. If knives were scarce the deficiency was made up
with scalping knives which were carried in sheaths suspended to
the belt of the hunting shirt. Every man carried one.
"After dinner the dancing commenced and generally lasted until
the next morning. The figures of the dancers were three and four
handed reels, or square sets and jigs. The commencement was
always a square form, which was followed by what was called jig-
ging it off; that is, two of the four would single out for a jig, and
were followed by the remaining couple. The jigs were often ac-
companied with what was called cutting out, that is, when either
of the parties became tired of the dance, on intimation, the place
was 'supplied by some one of the company, without any interrup-
tion to the dance. In this way the dance was often continued till
the musician was heartily tired of his situation. Toward the lat-
ter part of the night, if any of the company through weariness at-
tempted to conceal themselves for the purpose of sleeping, they
were hunted up, paraded on the floor, and the fiddler ordered to
play, 'Hang out till to-morrow morning.'
"About nine or ten o'clock a deputation of young ladies stole
off the bride and put her to bed. In doing this it frequently hap-
pened that they had to ascend a ladder, instead of a pair of stairs,
Southwest Virginia, 1740-1786. 137
leading from the dining and ball room to a loft, the floor of
which was made of clapboards lying loose.
"This ascent, one might think, would put the bride and her
attendants to the blush; but the foot of the ladder was commonly
behind the door, which was purposely opened for the occasion,
and its rounds at the inner ends were well hung with hunting-
shirts, dresses and other articles of clothing. The candles being
on the opposite side of the house, the exit of the bride was noticed
but by few.
"This done, a deputation of young men, in like manner, stole
off the groom and placed him snugly by the side of his bride. The
dance still continued; and if seats happened to be scarce, as was
often the case, every young man when not engaged in the dance,
was obliged to offer his lap as a seat for one of the girls; and the
offer was sure to be accepted. In the midst of this hilarity the
bride and groom were not forgotten. Pretty late in the night
some one would remind the company that the new couple must
stand in need of some refreshments. Black Betty, which was the
name of the bottle, was called for and sent up the ladder; but
sometimes Black Betty did not go alone. I have sometimes seen
as much bread, beef, pork and cabbage sent along as would afford
a good meal for half a dozen hungry men. The young couple
were compelled to eat and drink more or less of whatever was
offered.
"But to return: it often happened that some neighbors or rela-
tions, not being asked to the wedding, took offence, and the
mode of revenge adopted by them on such occasions was that
of cutting off the manes, foretops, and tails of the horses of the
wedding company.
"On returning to the infare, the order of procession and the
race for Black Betty was the same as before. The feasting and
dancing often lasted several days, at the end of which the whole
company were so exhausted with loss of sleep that many days'
rest were requisite to fit them to return to their ordinary labors."
HUNTING.
"This constituted one of the greatest amusements, and, in many
instances, one of the chief employments of the early settlers. The
various intrigues of a skillful hunter, such as mimicking a turkey.
128 Southtvest Virginia, 1740-1786.
owl, wolf, deer, etc., were soon learned, and the eye was taught
to catch, at a glance, the faintest impressions left upon the earth
by any animal. IMarks which would be by any but a hunter
overlooked were easily detected. The times and grounds on
which elk, deer, etc., fed were soon learned, and then the important
lesson of preventing spells or enchantments by enemies was
studied, for it is a singular fact that all hunters are more or less
superstitious. Frequently, on leaving home, the wife would throw
the axe at her husband to give him good luck. If he chanced to
fail to kill game, his gun was enchanted or spelled, and some old
woman was shot in effigy, then a silver bullet would be run with a
needle through it and shot at her picture. To remove these spells,
they would sometimes unbreech their rifles, and lay them in a
clear running stream for a certain number of days. If this failed,
they would borrow patching from some other hunter, which
transferred all the bad luck to the lender, etc.
"Game was plenty at the time this country was first settled by
the whites, and, acordingly, the woods furnished most of ihe
meat. The elks and buffaloes were generally killed at the licks
whither they repaired to salt themselves. Animals were hunted
there not merely for their meat, but for their skins and furs.
These served to pay for powder, lead, or anything else, being nomi-
nally the currency of the country.
"Neither was hunting a mere pastime, devoid of skill, as it now
is. The hunter might be considered somewhat of a meteorologist;
he paid particular attention to the winds, rains, snows, and frosts,
for almost every change altered the location of the game. He
knew the cardinal points of the compass by the thick bark and
moss on the north side of a tree, so that during the darkest and
most gloomy night he knew which was the north, and so the
direction of his home or camp.
"The natural habits of the deer were well studied; and hence he
knew at what times they fed, etc. If, in hunting, he found a deer
at feed, he stopped, and though he might be open to it, did not seek
to obscure himself, but waited till it raised its head and looked
at him. He rem.ained motionless till the deer, satisfied that
nothing was in sight, again commenced feeding. He then began
to advance, if he had the wind of it, and if not, he retreated and
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 139
came up another way, so as to place the deer between himself and
the wind. As long as the deer's head was down, he continued to
advance till he saw it shake the tail. In a moment he was the same
motionless object, till again it put down its head. In this way he
Avould soon approach to within sixty yards, when his unerring rifle
did the work of death. It is a curious fact that deer never put
their heads to the ground, or raise it, without shaking the tail be-
fore doing so."*
*Bickley.
130 Soutluvest Virginia, 17 46-17 S6.
CHAPTEE VI.
SOUTHWEST VIEGINIA— FINCASTLE COUNTY.
1773-1777.
The House of Burgesses of Virginia in tlie fall of the year
1772, in answer to the petition of the inhabitants and settlers on
the waters of the Holston and New rivers, representing their in-
conveniences by reason of the extent of Botetourt county and their
remote situation from the courthouse, with the consent of the
Governor and Council enacted a law providing that from and
after the first day of December, 1772, the said county of Bote-
tourt should be divided into two distinct counties; that is to say,
all that part of said county within a line to run up the east side
of New river to the mouth of Culberson creek, thence a direct line
to the Catawba road where it crosses the dividing ridge between
tlie north fork of Roanoke and the waters of New river, thence
with the top of the ridge to the bend where it turns eastwardl.y,
thence a south course, crossing Little river to the top of the Blue
Eidge mountain, shall be established as one distinct county, to be
called and known by the name of Fincastle ; and all that other part
thereof which lies to the east and northeast of said line shall be
one other distinct county and retain the name of Botetourt. The
act establishing Fincastle did not designate the place of holding
the court of the county, but, by order of the Governor of the
Colony, the Lead Mines, now in Wythe county, Virginia, was desig-
nated as the county seat of the new county.*
Pursuant to a commission from the Governor of the Colony
bearing date December 1, 1772, directed to
William Preston, William Inglis,
William Christian, John Montgomery,
Stephen Trigg, Eobert Doach,
Walter Crockett, James McGavock,
Anthony Bledsoe, James Thompson,
Arthur Campbell, William Eussell,
Benjamin Estill, Samuel Crockett,
Alexander McKee,
*8 Hen. Stat., page 600.
Southwest Virginia, 17JiG-J786. 131
the first County Court for Fincastle county assembled at the
Lead Mines, on New river, in the present county of Wythe, on
the 5th day of January, 1773. The following m^^anbers of the
court being present:
Arthur Campbell, James Thompson,
-William Preston, William Inglis,
William Christian, Stephen Trigg,
Walter Crockett, James McGavock.
Arthur Campbell and James Thompson administered the oath
to William Preston and William Inglis, and they to :
William Christian, Stephen Trigg,
Robert Doach, Walter Crockett,
James McGavock, James Thompson,
Arthur Campbell.
Subsequently in the year 1773, William Campbell, James Mc-
Corkle and William Herbert were commissioned and qualified as
members of the court. The following officers of the new county
qualified on that day:
Sheriff Fincastle count}',
^William Preston.
Deputy Sheriffs :
Daniel Trigg, John Floyd,
James Thompson, Henry Moore.
Surveyor Fincastle County,
William Preston.
Deputy Surveyors :
John Floyd, Robert Preston,
Daniel Smith, Robert Doach,
William Russell, James Douglas.
Clerk Fincastle county,
John Byrd.
Deputy Clerks :
William Christian,
Stephen Trigg, ■
Richard Madison.
132 Southwest Virginia, 174-6-1786.
King-'s Counsel or Dept. Attorney :
John Aylett, Jan. 5th, 1773.
Thomas Madison, May 3rd, 1774.
The following attorneys qualified in this court during the exist-
ence of the county:
Ephraim Dun! op, Luke Bowyer,
John May, Jolin Todd,
Harry Innes, Charles Simm,
John Aylett, Gabriel Jones,
Benjamin Lawson, Thomas Madison.
On the first day of the court many interesting orders were en-
tered, several of the number being here copied as entered :
"The Court doth appoint the house adjoining the Court House,
where the court is now held, for a prison, which house William
Preston, Sheriff, doth protest against as insufficient.
"Ordered that Stephen Trigg send for weights and measures
for the use of the said county, as soon as possible and on as low
terms as he sells goods to his best customers on.^'
"Ordered that John Byrd do provide all necessary law books for
this county, and that he bring in his charge."
A number of orders were entered by the court on the first day
of its existence, in regard to that section of Fincastle county lying
iipon the waters of the Holston and Clinch rivers.
Leave was given Francis Whitney and William Kennedy to
erect mills on the properties on which they lived, on the Holston
river and the waters of Holston river.
In this connection it is worthy of notice, tliat at the time per-
mission was given to Kennedy and Whitney to erect their mills,
there was but one mill on the waters of the Holston, so far as the
records show, to-wit: the mill of Arthur Campbell at Royal Oak.
"It is further ordered by the court that Williiim Edmiston,
George Adams, John Beaty, Joseph Drake, David Snodgrass and
James Kincannon, or any three of them, being first sworn, do view
the nighest and best way from the Town House (now in Smyth
County, Va.,) to the Eighteen Mile creek (now Abingdon), and
report."
It seems that there was some contention among the settlers on
Holston as to the location of this road; for, on the 3nd day of
South IV est Virginia, 17^6-1786. 133
^iarcli, 1773, the above order was set aside by the court, and on
that day it was ordered that John Hays, Benjamin Logan, William
Campbell, Arthur Bowen and Thomas Eamsey, or any three of
them, being first sworn, do view the several ways proposed for said
road and make a report of the conveniences and inconveniences
attending the same. The viewers thus appointed made their re-
port to the County Court on July 6, 1773, recommending that the
lower road be established, which report was confirmed and the road
established, and William Campbell, William Edmiston and James
Bryan were appointed overseers of the said road.
The above is all the information that the records contain of the
controversy in regard to the establishment of this road, but I ap-
prehend that the action of the court in establishing the road as
they did had considerable bearing in settling the future location
of the county seat of Washington county at Abingdon.
Upon the second day of the court it was recommended to his
Excellency the Governor that he wnll be pleased to establish the
courthouse for this county at a piece of land commonly called
]\rc(^airs place, now the property of Eoss & Co., and the lands
of Samuel Crockett, in lieu of the Lead Mines, for the several
reasons following:
That tlie said McCall's place and Crockett's lies on the Great
Eoad that passes through the county, and that it is well watered,
timbered and level.
That it is more central than the mines, and that it is in the
neigbborhood of a great deal of good lands and meadows.
That the Lead ]\Iines are near the south line of the county, that
there is no s})ring convenient, the place is very bare of timber and
in a neighborhood where there is very little pasture, and it is
certainly off the leading road.
From which order Arthur Campbell dissented.
While the records are to some extent indefinite as to the action
of the Governor upon this petition, it is clear that the county seat
was not removed from the Lead Mines during the existence of
the county of Fincastle, as is evident from other records that
have a bearing upon this subject.
The County Court on March 2, 1774, entered the following
order :
^'Ordered that the surveyor lay off the prison bounds, and that
134 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
he include all the houses and some part of the waters." This
clearly applied to the Lead Mines.
The act of the Legislature of Virginia establishing Montgomery
county directed that the county scat should be Fort Chiswell, and
one of the first orders of that court was to appoint commissioners to
contract for and superintend the erection of a courthouse.
The above facts, when taken in connection with the circumstance
that Fort Chiswell was at no time mentioned in the records of the
County Court of Fincastle county, except in the petition above set
out, are conclusive in regard to this matter.
On May 2, 1773, the court ordered that Robert Davis, Alexan-
der Wylie, Eobert Buchanan, and Hugh Gallion, any three of
whom being duly sworn, do view the nighest way from James Davis'
(at the head spring of the Middle Fork of the Holston) to James
Catherine's (near the head spring of the South Fork of the Hol-
ston), but the records of Fincastle fail to show that this road was
established.
The next order of importance entered by the court was on May
5, 1773, when the court ordered that Isaac Riddle, Wesley White,
James Young and James Montgomery do view the nighest and best
way from Eleven Mile creek, on Holston, by Jones' place at the
crossing place, going to Watauga, and report.
The commissioners made their report on July 6, 1773, and the
road was established, and James Montgomery, James Young and
Isaac Riddle were appointed overseers.
On March 3, 1773, James McCarthy, Matthew Mounts, John
Smith, Thomas Byrd, Nathan Richerson and Peter Lee, or any
three of them, being first sworn, were ordered to view the nighest
and best way from the Town House on Holston to Castle's Woods
on Clinch river, and make report.
The commissioners made their report on July 6, 1773. and the
road was partially established, beginning at John Dunkin's in Elk
Garden, thence over the mountains to Poor Valley, about five miles
to the westward of the old path, and from thence by the Big Lick,
through Lyon's Gap to the Town House.
On March 2, 1773, the court directed John Maxwell, Robert Al-
lison and Robert Campbell, or any three of them, to view the
nighest and best way from Catherine's Mill to Charles Allison's,
and so on to Sinclair's Bottom, and report.
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 135
On July 6, 1773, the commissioners reported, and the court di-
rected a road to l)e established from Catherine's Mill to Charles
Allison's house on the condition that the people on the South Fork,
or any others on same road who think it useful, do cut the same
themselves.
On the same day the court ordered that William Edmiston,
Kobert Edmiston, Alexander McNutt, Robert Buchanan, and John
Edmiston, any three of whom may act, do view a road from Charles
Allison's house down the South Fork to Robert Edmiston's house
and report.
On May 5, 1773, the County Court directed Arthur Camp-
bell to take a list of the tithables on the Clinch river and on all its
forks, as low as the Elk Garden, and on the Wolf Hill creek.
And William Eussell to take a list of the tithables from the
Elk Garden, on the Clinch, down to the county line.
And Anthony Bledsoe to take a list of the tithables from Cap-
tain Campbell's down to the county line, on the North, South, and
Middle Forks of Holston river.
And that Captain James Thompson do take a list of the tith-
ables in Captain William Campbell's company.
On May 4, 1773, the court directed James Hays, John Hays,
"^ Archibald Buchanan, and Robert Davis to view the nighest and
best way by Robert Davis' into the leading road from Holston.
At" the meeting of the County Court on July 6, 1773, Jonathan
Jenning was fined forty shillings for speaking of the court with
contempt and saying that they were self-interested and partial.
And on the same day Stephen Trigg, James McCorkle, Walter
Crockett and James McGavock were directed to agree with work-
men to repair the second house from the courthouse for a prison
in such manner as is necesssary.
And on the 9th day of July, 1773, Joseph Black, Andrew Col-
vill, Samuel Ewen, William Blackburn, George Blackburn, Samuel
Briggs, Davis Galloway, John Berry, Christopher Acklin, John
Keswick, John Vance and Benjamin Logan were directed to clear
the nearest and best way from Samuel Brigg's^ on Eighteen Mile
creek, to James Bryan's, on Eleven Mile creek.
On November 2, 1773, on the petition of a number of the in-
habitants, it was ordered that William Priest, Henry Willis, Jo-
seph Martin, William Bowen and Joseph Craven, any three of
136 Southwest VirgiJiia, 1746-1786.
whom may act, after being duly sworn, do view the best way from
Maiden Springs settlement (now in Tazewell county) into the
Great Road.
No further orders pertaining to Washington county were en-
tered by the court until March 2, 1774, on which day Patrick Por-
ter was given leave to build a mill on Falling creek, the waters
of Clinch river, this being the fii-st mill erected on Clinch river,
so far as the records disclose.
On the same day, on the motion of Charles Allison, leave was
given him to build a mill on his land, on the South Fork of Hol-
ston, near the head spring.
On the same day the court appointed Andrew Miller and Thomas
Ramsay commissioners to view the nighest and best way from
Thomas Ramsay's, by Kennedy's mill, to the Great Road.
At a meeting of the court on May 3, 1774, tlie court, on the
petition of the inhabitants of Beaver creek, m;dei"ed Benjamin Lo-
gan to open a road from James Fulkerson's to the wagon road at
Joseph Black's (now Abingdon), the best and most convenient way.
On the same day the court directed Anthony Bledsoe to take a
list of the tithables in Captains Looney's, Shelby's, and Cocke's com-
panies, William Campbell in his own and Captain Arthur Camp-
bell's companies, and William Russell in his own and Captain
Smith's companies.
The County Court of Fincastle county was composed of men of
dignity and respectability, and they purposed to deal with the at-
torneys practicing at tlieir bar in such a manner as to command
the respect of the bar and the citizens of the county, and, as an
evidence of the manner in which they dealt with the members of
the legal profession, we here copy an order made 1)y this court on
May 3, 1774:
"John Gabriel Jones, having misbehaved himself in the court, it
is ordered that for his contempt he make his fine with our Ijord,
the King, by the ])ayniont of twenty shillings, and that he be
taken," etc.
On the same day a peculiar order was entered, which read as
follows :
"John Dougherty came into court, and, it being fully proved
that his left ear had been bitten off by a person in an affray, it is
ordered that the same be recorded." It is hard to perceive his ob-
Southwest Virginia, 17^6-1786. 137
ject in making this proof and having it recorded unless there ex-
isted at that time, or at an earlier date, some law or custom by
which criminals lost their ears.
At the August term of this court it was directed that a road be
built from Arthur Camjjbell's mill to Blue Spring, at the head
of Cripple creek, by way of Eye Bottom, and on August 3d, being
the same day as the above order, the court directed a road to be
built from Arthur CampbelFs mill to Archibald Buchanan's, on ^
the North Fork of Holston river.
In the preceding pages we have given a great deal of the records
of the County Court of Fincastle county directing the opening of
the first roads and granting permission to erect the first mills on
the waters of the Holston and Clinch rivers, and it cannot be other-
wise than interesting, for, previously to the opening of these roads,
the early settlers of this country, as a general rule, were compelled
to follow the Indian and buffalo trails made before their advent.
The main trail down the Holston and through Washington
county was, from the very earliest time of which we have any
record, called the Great Eoad. Before the erection of the first mills
on the waters of the Holston, if the early settlers wished to have
meal, it could be obtained in one way only, and that by cracking
the grains of corn with a hammer or by some other similar method.
The first deed executed to any of the settlers on the Holston was
dated January 5, 1773, and was made by Edmund Pendleton. It
conveyed to Benjamin Logan and John Sharp 676 acres of land
situated on Beaver creek, alias Shallow creek, and was the same
land surveyed by John Buchanan for Edmund Pendleton on April
■2, 1750.
On the same day Edmund Pendleton conveyed to William
Cocke and Eobert Craig 950 acres of land situated on Spring
creek, alias Eenfro's creek, being the same land surveyed by John
Buchanan, deputy surveyor of Augusta county, for Edmund
Pendleton on April 3, 1750, and described in the survey as lying
on Eenfro's creek. This survey covered a considerable part of the
farms now owned and occupied by C. L. Clyce, Jerry Whitaker,
Allen Lester and H. B. Eoberts on Spring creek.
The four conveyances above described are older by more than
one year and three months than any others to be found in the pres--
138 Southwest Virginia, 17J^6-1786.
ent bounds of Washington county, the next oldest conveyance
bearing' date April 14, 1774.
It may be interesting at this point to know the oath required of
the members of the first County Court administering justice among
the settlers upon the Holston. We here copy the oath :
"You shall swear that as a justice of the peace in the county
of Fincastlo in all articles in the commission to you directed, you
shall do equal right to the ])oor and to the rich, after your cunning,
wit and power according to law; and 3^ou shall not be of any
counsel of any quarrel hanging before you, and the issues, fines and
amercements that shall happen to be made, and all the forfeitures
which shall fall before you, you shall cause to be entered, without
any concealment or embezzling; you shall not let for gift or other
causes, but well and truly you shall do your office of justice of the
peace, as well within your county court as without; and you shall
not take any gift, fee or gratuity, for anything to be done by vir-
tue of your office, and you shall not direct or cause to be directed,
any warrant by you to be made to the parties, but you shall direct
them to the Sheriff, or bailiffs of said county, or other the King's
officers or ministers, or other indifferent persons, to do execution
thereof, so help you God."
The oath of a justice of the County Court in Chancery was as
follows :
"You shall swear that well and truly you will serve our sovereign
lord, the King, and his people, in the office of a justice of the county
court of Fincastle in ( 'hancery, and that you will do equal right to
all manner of people, great and small, high and low, rich and poor,
according to equity and good conscience and the laws and usages
of this colony and dominion of Virginia, without favor, affection
or partiality. So help you God."*
A considerable number of people had settled in the immediate
vicinity of Abingdon, and eastward to the head waters of the Hol-
ston, and in the beginning of this year two congregations of Pres-
byterians had organized in the county — one at Sinking Spring
(now Abingdon) and another at Ebbing Spring, on the Middle
Fork of the Holston river, near the James Byars farm ; and in the
month of April, 1773, Samuel Edmiston was commissioned by the
two congregations above mentioned to present a call to the Rev.
*5 Hen. Stat., pages 489-490.
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 139
Charles Cummings at the Eeverend Presbytery of Hanover when
sitting at the Tinkling Springs, in Angusta county. This call was
reduced to writing and signed by the members of the Sinking
Spring and Ebbing Spring congregations. It was presented to
the Presbytery by Samuel Edmiston for the services of Mr. Cum-
mings at Brown's meeting-house, in Augusta county, on June 3,
1773. The call with the signatures thereto is as follows:
"A call from the united congregations of Ebbing, and Sinking
springs, on Holston's river, Fincastle county, to be presented to the
Rev, Charles Cummings, minister of the gospel, at the Eeverend
Presbytery of Hanover when sitting at the Tinkling Spring:
Worthy and Dear Sir, — We, being in very destitute circum-
stances for want of the ordinances of Christ's house statedly ad-
ministered amongst us ; many of us under very distressing spiritual
languishments ; and multitudes perishing in our sins for want of
the bread of life broken among us; our Sabbaths too much pro-
faned, or at least wasted in melancholy silence at home, our hearts
and hands discouraged, and our spirits broken with our mournful
condition, so that human language cannot sufficiently paint. Hav-
ing had the happiness, by the good providence of God, of enjoying
part of your labors to our abundant satisfaction, and being uni-
versally well satisfied by our experience of your ministerial abili-
ties, piety, literature, prudence and peculiar agreeableness of your
qualifications to us in particular as a gospel minister — we do,
worthy and dear sir, from our very hearts, and with the most cor-
dial affection and unanimity agree to call, invite and entreat you to
undertake the office of a pastor among us, and the care and charge
of our precious souls, and upon your accepting of this our call, we
do promise that we will receive the word of God from your mouth,
attend on your ministry, instruction and reproofs, in public and
private, and submit to the discipline which Christ has appointed
in his church, administered by you while regulated by the word of
God and agreeable to our confession of faith and directory. And
that you may give yourself wholly up to the important work of the
ministry, we hereby promise to pay you annually the sum of ninety
poimds from the time of your accepting this our call ; and that we
shall behave ourselves towards you with all that dutiful respect
and affection that becomes a people towards their minister, using
all means within our power to render your life comfortable and
140
SovtJL'west Virginia, 17Ji6-17S6.
liapp}''. We entreat 3'ou, worthy and dear sir, to have compassion
u])on us in this remote part of the world, and accept this our call
and invitation to the pastoral charge of our precious and immor-
tal souls, and we shall hold ourselves bound to pray.
(I^orge Blackburn,
Win. Blackburn,
John Vance,
John Casey,
Benjamin Logan,
l»(bert Edmiston,
Tliomas Berry,
IJobert Trimble,
AVm. McGaughey,
David Dry den,
V.'m. McNabb,
\ . •)hn Davis,
] [albert McClure,
Arthur Blackburn,
"^ Tiathl. Davis,
Saml. Evans,
\Vm. Kennedy, "^
Andrew McFerran,
Saml. Hendry,
John Patterson,
-Tames Gilmore,
John Lowry,
Wm. Christian,
Andrew Colville,
Eobert Craig,
Joseph Black,
Jonathan Douglass?,
John Cusick,
Eobert Gamble,
, Andrew Martin,
Augustus Webb,
Samuel Briggs,
Wesley White,
James Dorchester,
James Fulkerson,
John Long,
Eobert Topp, v
John Hunt,
Thomas Bailey,
David Getgood,
Alex. Breckenridge,
George Clark,
James Molden,
William Blanton,
James Craig, "^
Thomas Sharp,
John Berry,
James Montgomery,
Samuel Houston,
Henry Creswell,
George Adams,
George Buchanan,
James Dysart,
William Miller,
Andrew Deeper,
David Snodgrass,
Danl. McCormick,
Francis Kincannon,
Jos. Snodgrass,
James Thompson,
Eobert Denniston,
William Edmiston,
Saml. Edmiston,
Andrew Kincannon,
John Kelley,
John Eobinson,
James Kincannon,
Margaret Edmiston,
John Edmiston,
John Boyd,
David Carson,
Samuel Buchanan,
William Bates,
William McMillin,
John Kennedy,
Eobert Lamb,
Thos. Eafferty,
Tliomas Baker,
John Groce,
Eobert Buchanan,
Chrisr. Acklin,
Joseph Gamble,
John McNabb,
Chris. Funkhouser,
John Funkhouser, Sr.,
John Funkhouser, Jr.,
Thomas Evans,
William Marlor,
Wm. Edmiston,
Thos Edmiston,
John Beaty,
David Beaty,
George Teator,
Michl. Halfacre,
Stephen Cawood,
James Garvell,
Eob. Buchanan, Jr.,
Edward Jamison,
ISTicholas Brobston,
Alexander McNutt,
William Pruitt,
John McCutchen,
James Berry,
James Trimble,
Eichard Heggons,
Southwest 'Virginia, 17JfG-17SG.
141
Stephen Jordan,
Alex. Laughlin,
James Inglish,
Richard Moore,
Thomas Ramsey,
Samuel Wilson,
Joseph Vance,
William Young,
William Davidson,
James Young,
John Sharp,
Robert Kirkham,
Martin Pruitt,
Andrew Miller,
William Berry,
James Piper,
James Harrold,
Saral. Newell,
David Wilson,
David Craig,
William Berry,
V Moses Buchanan,
John Lester^
Hugh Johnson,
Edward Pharis,
Joseph Lester,
Saml. White,
William Lester,
William Poage,
Saml. Buchanan,
Thos. Montgomery,
Samuel Bell,
John Campbell.
Tliis call was accepted by Mr. Cummings, but no record is pre-
served of any installation being appointed or performed. It was
intended that this call should have been presented at a session of
the Presbytery in the preceding April, but, for some cause, it was
delayed until the following June. Having accepted this call, he
removed his family to the Holston, and settled upon three hundred
acres of land on the head waters of Wolf Hill creek, which he pur-
chased from Dr. Thomas Walker for the consideration of thirty-
three pounds, and which land was conveyed to him by Dr. Walker
by a deed dated April 14, 1774.
We hope our readers will indulge us if we pause at this place
to remark that every acre of this three-hundred-acre tract of land
is to-day, 129 years thereafter, in the possession of the direct lineal
descendants of the Rev. Charles Cummings. A remarkable fact.
As soon as he had settled his family on the Holston, he set about
the performance of the duties pertaining to his station with all the
energy and intelligence of which he was capable. He purchased
from Dr. Thomas Walker, for five shillings, by estimation, fifty-
five acres of land, which land was deeded ])y Dr. Walker "to the
minister and congregation of the Sinking Spring Church and
their successors for the time being on April 14, 1774. This tract
of laud was bounded as follows: Beginning at a red oak corner to
Andrew Colvill, running thence E. 10 poles to a white oak, N.
20', E. 126 poles to a hickory; thence N. 31', W. 48 poles to a
chestnut on a high ridge, S. 53', W. 96 poles to a chestnut and a
white oak on the side of said ridge, S. 35', E. 46 poles to a large
white oak, S. 40', W. 28 poles to a black oak near Sinking Spring,
142 SouUiwest Virginia, 17J^6-1786.
S. 30', E. 48 poles to a white oak; thence E. 12 poles to the be-
ginning."*
A considerable part of noi-thwest Abingdon is built upon this
same tract of land.
The first meeting house of the Sinking Spring congregation was
erected on the first rise in the present cemetery in the rear of the
Martin vault, and was a very large cabin of unhewn logs.' It was
from 80 to 100 feet long and about 40 feet wide, and had a very
remarkable appearance.
Governor David Campbell, in speaking of the men who signed
this call, says: "In early life I knew personally many of those
whose names are signed to it, and I knew nearly all of them from
character."
They were a most respectable body of men, were all Whigs in the
revolution, and nearly all, probably every one of them, performed
military service against the Indians, and a large portion of them
against the British in the battles of King's Mountain, Guilford
Courthouse, and other actions in North and South Carolina.
Such was the character of the first men who inhabited our
county and worshipped in this, the first place of worship, on all the
waters of the Holston and Clinch.
Daniel Boone again visited the waters of the Holston in the
fall of this year. The Boones and five other families set out from
their homes on the Yadkin river, N". C, on September 25, 1773.
They passed through Washington county and on into Powell's
Valley (on their way to Kentucky), where they were joined by
William Bryan, with forty other people. While this body of emi-
grants were leisurely traveling through Powell's Valley a small
company, under James Boone, Daniel Boone's eldest son, left the
main body and went to the home of William Eussell to secure pro-
visions, and on the 9th of October James Boone and his company,
among the number being Eussell's son Henry and two slaves, en-
camped a few miles in the rear of the main body. At this point
they Avere, the next day, waylaid by a small company of Shawnese
and Cherokee Indians, who were supposed to be at peace with the
white settlers. On the morning of the 10th James Boone and his
entire company were captured, and, after cruel torture, were slaught-
ered. After this occurrence Daniel Boone's company of emigrants
*Deed Book "A," page — , Fincastle county.
Southwest Virginia, 17Jf6-1786. 143
broke up and returned to the settlements, and Daniel Boone and his
family returned to the home of William Kussell, near Castle's
Woods, on Clinch river, about forty miles distant, and took up their
residence in an empty cabin on the farm of Captain David Glass,
seven or eight miles from William Eussell's, where they spent the
M'inter of 1773-1774. Daniel Boone had twice, previously to this
time, visited the Kentucky wilderness, and had decided to settle in
the beautiful country which he had visited. And thus rudely were
his first efforts frustrated.
The motive actuating the Indians in making this assault must
have been jealousy of these, the first emigrants to Kentucky. They
could not have had for their object the securing of plunder alone,
for the Indians had long lived in peace with the white settlers
without any effort to murder or burn. In this assault six men,
including Boone's son, were slain, and their cattle and plunder
secured and carried oft'.
We have now reached the time when the eyes of all frontiersmen
were fixed upon the fertile lands lying beyond the Cumberland
mountains. The Kentucky wilderness was no longer visited by
the hunter alone, but the explorer and the settler were seeking an
opportunity to acquire a future home in the new country.
A distinguished author, in speaking of the condition of the
Indians at that time, says : "Recently they had been seriously
alarmed by the tendency of the whites to encroach on the great
hunting grounds south of the Ohio, for here and there hunters and
settlers were already beginning to build cabins along the course of
that stream," and in another place the same author speaks as fol-
lows : "The savages grew continually more hostile, and in the fall
of 1773 their attacks became so frequent that it was evident a
general outbreak was at hand. Eleven people were murdered in
the county of Fincastle alone. The Shawnese were the leaders in
all these outrages. Thus the spring of 1774 opened with every-
thing ripe for an explosion. The Virginia borderers were fear-
fully exasperated, and were ready to take vengeance upon any In-
dian, whether peaceful or hostile, while the Shawnese and Mingoes,
on their side, were arrogant and overbearing, and yet alarmed at
the -continual advance of the whites."*
The Virginia Colony was at peace with the Cherokees, and
*The Winning of the West, Vol. I., pages 250-252.
144 SouUiivest Virginia, 1746-1786.
most of the Indians' depredations during the year 1774-1775
were comniitted by the northwest Indians.
A Mr. Russell and five of his companions were murdered by the
Indians in the fall of the year 1773 in Fincastle county, and about
the same time two men, l)y the name of Cochran and Foley, and
a man by the name of Hayes, with his three companions, were
murdered by the Indians, but as to the locality of these murders
or the circumstances attending them we have no information.!
In the course of the summer of 1774, a number of the citizens
of Fincastle county were captured and killed by the northern In-
dians, among the number being Thomas Hogg and two men near
the mouth of the Great Kanawha, and Walter Kelly, with three or
four other persons, below the falls of the Great Kanawha. William
Kelly and a young woman were captured on Muddy creek, a branch
of Green river. Kelly was killed and the young woman carried
into captivity. During this same summer a man by the name of
Shockley, a scout employed by the County Court of Fincastle
county, was shot and killed, and on the 7th day of August, 1774,
the house of one John Lybrook, situated on Sinking creek in the_
present county of Craig, was attacked by the Indians. Lybrook
was wounded in the arm, and only saved his life by hiding in a
cave. Three of his children (one of them a sucking infant), a
young woman, a daughter of one Scott, and a child of widow
Snidow were killed. All the children were scalped but one, and
were mangled in a most crxiel manner. At the same time and in
the same community, John and Jacob Snidow and a younger
brother, whose name is not known, were captured and made pris-
oners. Two of the brothers escaped from the Indians on the fol-
lowing Wednesday, but tlic other was carried into captivity and
remained with the Indians until he acquired their habits and be-
came so fond of their manner of life that he ever afterwards lived
among them. At the same time a Miss Margaret McKiusie was
captured and carried into captivity, where she remained for eighteen
years, at the end of which time she returned to New river and
married a Mr. Benjamin Hall.
The white settlers near Pittsburg were on very bad terms with
the northwest Indians. On the last day of April, 1774, a small
•company of Indians left the camp of the Indian Chief Logan, at
tWm. Preston Mss.
Southwest Virginia, 17-^6-1786. 145
Yellow creek, and crossed the river to visit a man by the name of
Greathouse, a place which they had been accustomed to visit for
tlie purpose of buying rum from the whites. The Indians were
made drunk with liquor, and while in this condition were cruelly
murdered by Greathouse and his associates. Nine Indians in all
were murdered at this time, among the number being the entire
family of the Indian Chief Logan. Logan had always been the
friend of the white man, and had always been exceedingly kind and
gentle to women and children, notwithstanding the fact that some
of his relatives had been killed by the whites some years before.
Logan was a skilled marksman and a mighty hunter of com-
manding dignity, who treated all men with a grave courtesy and
exacted the same treatment in return. He was greatly liked and
respected by all the white hunters and frontiersmen whose friend-
ship and respect were worth having. They admired him for his
dexterity and prowess, and they loved him for his straightforward
honesty and his nol)le loyalty to his friends.*
This last stroke was more than Logan could stand. He at-
tributed his misfortune to Captain Cresap, and he began at once
to raid the settlements with small bands of Indians. This raid
was upon the settlers of the Holston and the Clinch. On his first
expedition he took thirteen scalps, six of the number being chil-
dren. He was pursued and overtaken by a party of men com-
manded by a man by the name of McClure, but he ambushed and
defeated them on McClure's creek, now in Dickenson county, and
it was from this occurrence that the creek obtained its name.
Again, during the same year, he visited the waters of Holston,
within twelve miles of the present location of Bristol, and cap-
tured and murdered many families. At the house of one Eoberts,
whose family was cut off, Logan left a war-club, to which was tied
a note, which read as follows :
"Captain Cresap, — ^What did you kill my people on Yellow
creek for? The white people killed my kin at Conestoga a great
while ago, and 1 thought nothing of that. But you killed my kin
again on Yellow creek, and took my cousin prisoner. Then I
thought I must kill, too, and I have been three times to war since;
but the Indians are not angry, only myself.
elulv 21, 1774. "Captain John Logan."
^Winning of the West, Vol. I., page 256.
146
Southwest Virginia, 174G-1786.
While the settlers at Pittsburg provoked this diificulty, it seems
that the settlers on the Holston and Clinch were the principal
sufferers thereby.
Numerous surveyors, with their instruments, visited Kentucky
during this year. Among the number were James Douglas, Han-
cock Taylor, Isaac Bledsoe, and John Floyd. The last named left
the home of Colonel William Preston at Smithfield on April 9,
1774, accompanied by eight men. They passed down the Kanawha
river to the Ohio, where they were informed by a company they
met that an Indian war was probable; notwithstanding which in-
formation they continued their explorations, surveying many tracts
of land on the Ohio and in the present State of Kentucky. We here
give a list of a few surveys made by the men who visited Kentucky in
this year. We copy this list from the fact that it is exceedingly
interesting, and for the further reason that it contains the first sur-
veys made by the white man in the present State of Kentucky :
Notable Tmcit^ of Land, Surveyed hy John Floyd, Hancock Taylor and James Doug-
las, in 1774-i77S, lying mostly in Kentucky
Time.
April 25
1774
"
'20.
177-i
"
22,
177-1
June
7,
1774
"
»,
1774
April 15,
1774
June
7,
1774
July
8,
1774
7,
1774
n,
1774
12,
1774
H,
1774
20,
1774
May
t>,
1774
June
2,
1774
Name.
Mitchell Clay.
Wni. Inglis.
Wm. Inglis.
Col. Wm. Cliristian.
Jas. McCorkle.
Col. Geo. Washington
John Floyd.
Patrick Henry.
Patrick Henry.
Wui. Christian.
Wm. Russell. •>*
Wm. Preston. ^
Audley Paul.
Wm. Christian.
Wm. Byrd.
May 24, 1774 Wm. Fleming.
" 27, 1774 John Corlin.
June 2, 1774 Henry Harrison.
Mar. 23, 1774 Samuel Scott.
N- Aug. 8, 1774]Andrew Lewis.
" 16, 1774 Evan Shelby.
May 31, 1774 Zachary Taylor.
June 17, 1774 Zachary Taylor.
" 29, 1774 Adam Stephens.
1, 1774 Jolin Connallv.
1, 1774 Wm. Byrd.
I
2, 1774 Thomas Bower.
14, 1775 James McDowell.
11, 1775 Samuel McDowell.
July
June 12, 1774 Wm. Christian.
" 24, 1775 Jethro Sumner.
" 3, 1774 Arthur Campbell.
May 12, 1774 Wm. Christian
ACBBS
1,000
200
1,(100
2,000
1,000
2,000
1,000
2,000
3,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
2,000
1,000
1,000
3,000
200
1,000
40
2,000
2,000
1,000
2,000
2,000
1,000
1,00)
•..',000
2,000
1,000
2,000
1,000
1,000
Location.
Botii sides Bluestone Cr., Clover Bottom.
H'd Spring Wolf Cr., Burks Garden.
Abbs' Valley.
Bear Grass Creek, Br. of Ohio.
Bank of Cole River.
W. Bear Grass Creek.
Elk Horn Creek, Br. of Kentucky.
N. Br. Ky. River, 95 miles from the Ohio.
S. Br. Kentucky River.
N. Br. of Kentucky.
S. Side Ohio, 3 miles above mouth of Ky.
About 11 miles below mouth of Ky., called
" Mt. Byrd."
On Ohio River.
On Ohio, 19 miles above falls.
On Ohio, 23^ miles from h'd of fall.
The Narrows. Giles County.
Sinking Cr., 8 miles from Ky. River, N,
course from Harwood Landing.
Elk Horn Cr., Branch of Kentucky.
On Ohio, Mouth Bear Grass Creek.
Br. Kv. that empties at Gireat Crossing.
N. si<lV K y. River and N.W. side Klk Horn
Creek al)i)ut8 miles I'min a remarkable
l)arialo feeding place, tlie Ky. River.
S. side Ohio River opposite the falls.
S. side ( ihio, nearly opposite flrst island
above the falls.
Near falls of Ohio.
S. Fork Licking Cr., Br. of Ohio.
Elk Horn Cr., Br. of Kentucky.
Salt River, 20 miles from Great Falls Inc'd
Spring and Buffalo Lick.
Elk Horn Creek (Sumner's Forest).
Br. Bear Grass Cr., S. Br. Ohio.
Big Bone Lick and Butt'alo Lick.
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 147
This is a partial list only of the many surveys made in west
Fincastle county, now in the State of Kentucky, by Hancock Tay-
lor, James Douglas, and John Floyd.
These men were sent to Kentucky by direction of the Governor
of the Colony of Virginia, and all the lands thus located were for
men or the assignees of men who took part in the French-Indian
war of 1754-1763, and who acquired their rights under the King's
proclamation of 1763. When the war with the Indians broke out
Lord Dunmore was exceedingly anxious to give information of that
fact to the surveyors, and he directed Colonel William Preston,
who had charge of the defenses of Fincastle county, to communi-
cate the fact to the surveyors. Colonel Preston authorized Colo-
nel William Russell, who then lived on the Clinch river, to employ
two faithful woodmen to go to Kentucky and convey the infor-
mation to the several companies of surveyors and their assistants,
and on the 26th of June, 1774, Captain Russell wrote Colonel
William Preston as follows : "I have engaged to start immediately
upon the occasion two of the best hands I could think of, Daniel
Boone and Michael Stoner, who have engaged to reach the coun-
try as low as the falls, and to return by way of Gasper's Lick, on
Cumberland, and through Cumberland Gap, so that by the as-
siduity of these men, if it be not too late, I hope the gentlemen
will be apprized of the imminent danger they are daily in."
Boone and Stoner set out immediately upon their trip, and warned
Colonel James Harrod and thirty men at Harrodsburg, now Ken-
tucky. They found another company of surveyors at Fontainebleau
and on the Kentucky i-iver they found Captalin John Floyd
and his men, and thence they passed to the falls of the Ohio, where
they warned the surveyors at Mann's Lick, and, after an absence
of sixty-one days, they reached J^ussell's Fort on Clinch river,
having traveled 800 miles on foot. Captain John Floyd imme-
diately set out for the settlements, and on the 13th day of August,
1774, he reached the home of Colonel Preston at Smithfield, and
reported : "That on the 8th of July he and three others parted with
fourteen men, who were also engaged in the surveying business,
and went about twenty miles from them to finish his part of the
work, and that they were to meet on the first day of August at a
place on the Kentucky, known by the name of the Cabin, in order
to proceed on their homeward journey. That on the 24th of July
148 Southivest Virginia, 1746-1786.
he, with his three men, repaired to tlie place appointed, where he
found that a part, or all of the conipan}^, had assembled according
to agreement, but had gone off in the greatest precipitation, leav-
ing him only this notice written on a tree: 'Alarmed by finding
some people killed, we arc gone down,' upon which he, with his
small party, iminodiatoly set out, steering for our settlements; and
after an extremely painful and fatiguing journey of sixteen days
through mountains almost inaccessible and ways unknown, he at
last arrived on Clinch river. He did not well understand the
notice left him on the tree, whether part of the company had as-
sembled at the Cabin, and that they had gone down to the camp in
order to warn those who were at work in that neighborhood of
danger, or whether the whole company had met and were departed
down the Mississippi, as several in the company had before pro-
posed returning home that Avay, with a view both to see the coun-
try and avoid the fatigue of returning by land. The names of
some of the party not then returned are here inserted, viz. : James
Douglas, Hancock Ta5dor and Isaach Bledsoe ; Surveyors John Wil-
lis, Willis Lee, Captain John Ashby, Abraham Hempenstall, Wil- '
liam Ballard, John Green, Lawrence Darnell, Mordecai Batson,
John Sodusky, James Strother and John Ball."
The northwestern Indians were greatly alarmed at the encroach-
ments of the white settlers, who were daily surveying and settling
the lands on the banks of the Ohio and in the wilderness of Ken-
tucky. The white settlers insisted that they had a right to survey
and settle these lands under the>])]'ovisinus of tlie treaty made with
the confederacy of the Six Nations at Fort Stanwix in 17G8, and
they were greatly exasperated by the conduct of the northwestern
Indians in denying their right to said lands and in murdering
their people and plundering their settlements. The white settlers
had long been restrained by the British Government from aveng-
ing their wrongs on the Indians, and now they clamored for war.
When the news of the disposition of the Indians reached Williams-
burg the Governor of the Colony and the House of Burgesses of
Virginia immediately took steps to protect the western settlers.
By the direction of Lord Dunmore, Lieutenant-Colonel William
Christian, in the month of May, 1774, left Williamsburg for Fin-
castle county with instructions to use every means possible to pre-
Southwest Virginia, 17^6-1780. 149
vent the inhabitants from leaving tlie settlements on the approach
of the Indian war.
As soon as he reached his home a council of the militia officers
was held on June 35, 1774, at the Lead Mines, at which council it
was resolved that Lieutenant-Colonel Christian should march with
a body of militia to the Clinch settlements. The militia Avas at !
once mustered in and equipped at the personal expense of Colonel j
Christian, JVilliam Preston and Major Arthur Campbell, and pro-
ceeded to the Clinch settlements, where every preparation was '
made for war. A considerable part of this force accompanied
Colonel Christian to Point Pleasant in the following August. Gen-
eral Andrew Lewis was directed by Governor Dunmore to organize
a sufficient force to carry war into the enemy's country. The organi-
zation of this body of troops was intrusted to General Andrew
Lewis and Colonel Charles Lewis, of Augusta county. As it would
require some time to organize this body of troops, it was thought
proper to send an advance guard into the enemy's country to re-
strain the Indians wjiile the whites were preparing, and early in
June about 400 men, under the command of Colonel Angus Mc-
Donald, assembled at Wheeling and immediately marched to the
Indian grounds, on the Muskingum, with the loss of two men killed
and eight or ten wounded. The Indians fled, and in a few days
returned and sued for peace, but their pretensions were not sin-
cere; and they were only delaying McDonald while they removed
their property and their women and children beyond the reach of
the Virginia troops. Thereupon Colonel McDonald burned the In-
dian towns and crops and retraced his steps to Wheeling. As soon
as the troops had retired from the Indian country small bands of
Indians invaded the western settlements at many points.
Many of the people of Fincastle county were murdered, and by
the first of August all the people in Pincastle county, except a few
of the settlers on Holston, were gatliered into small forts-; and
such was the unhappy situation of the people that they could not
attend to their plantations, nor were the scouts employed by the
county able to investigate the inroads of the enemy, as they came
in small parties and traveled along the mountains with great cau-
tion. About the last of June one Knox, who went to Ohio with the
surveyors in the spring, reached the settlements and reported :
"That on the 13th of June one Jacob Lewis departed from the
150 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
camp on Salt river in the morning to hunt, and had never been
heard of since; that on the 8th of July, being at said camp, about
one hundred miles from the Ohio and nearly opposite to the falls,
he, with nine otliei-s, was surprised and fired upon by a party of
about twenty Indians; that two men were killed on the spot, viz.:
James Hamilton, from Fredericksburg, and James Cowan, from
Pennsylvania, and as the enemy rushed upon them before it was
possible to put themselves in any posture of defence, they were
obliged to abandon their camp and make their escape to a party of
thirty-five men who were in that neighborhood. Next day, the
whole company, being forty-three in number, after burying the
dead, set out for the settlement on Clinch river, wliere they arrived
on the 29th, after making several discoveries of the enemy on the
way."
General Andrew Lewis had orders to raise four companies of
militia from Fincastle and Botetourt counties, to rendezvous at
Camp Union, and to march thence down the Kanawha to Fort Pitt,
at the junction of the Kanawha and Ohio. Three companies of
men were raised in Fincastle county and were commanded by:
Captain Evan Shelby, the forces from the waters of the Holston,
Captain Wm. Eussell, the forces from the waters of the Clinch,
Captain Wm. Herbert, the forces from the waters of New river.
Captain Eussell left EusselFs Fort on Clinch river previously
to August 13th, 1774, and Captain Evan Shelby began the march
with his forces on the 17th of August, 1774, both companies join-
ing the regiment of Colonel Cliristian on New river; from which
place Colonel Christian, with his regiment, proceeded to Camp
Union. On the 11th day of September, 1774, the army of Gen.
Lewis began the march down the Kanawha, and, after the expira-
tion of twenty-five days, they arrived at Point Pleasant and camped
upon the banks of the Ohio. When the army of General Lewis left
Camp Union, Colonel Wm. Christian, with four hundred inen, was
directed to remain and guard the provisions until the return of a
company of horse that had been sent to the mouth of Elk, when he
was to hurry things forward. But the companies of Captains
Eussell and Shelby accompanied the army of General Lewis upon
its march from Camp Union to Point Pleasant and w^ere attached
to the command of Colonel Charles Lewis, of Augusta county.
At the same time, Lord Dunmore raised a considerable force in
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 151
the lower Valley and was to march to Fort Pitt, and thence to
Point Pleasant, where he was to meet General Lewis. Instead of
doing so, he marched into Ohio. General Lewis, upon his arrival at
Point Pleasant, waited several days, expecting the arrival of Lord
Dunmore, and, not hearing from him, he dispatched messengers,
but whether he received a reply before the battle is a matter of dis-
pute. On Sunday, the 9th day of October, the sturdy Scotch-Irish
Presbyterians from Pincastle county spent the day in religious
exercises, little dreaming that on the coming day they would be sur-
prised by the Indians and win the most hotly contested battle with
the Indians recorded in the annals of our history.
"^BATTLE OF POINT PLEASANT.
Early Monday morning, October 10th, James Mooney and James
Hughey, of Captain Eussell's company, left the camp in quest of
deer. When about three miles distant from their camp, they unex-
pectedly came in sight of a large body of Indians, in their en-
campment. The Indians, when they discovered the two men, fired
upon them, and Hughey was killed by a white renegade by the name
of Travenor Eoss. Mooney made his escape, and, returning to the
camp, reported that he had seen a body of the enemy covering four
acres of ground, as closely as they could stand by the side of each
other.
About the same time, two members of Captain Shelby's company,
James Eobertson and Valentine Sevier, who had been out hunting,
returned to camp and reported that they had met a body of hostile
Indians advancing upon the camp, and that they had fired upon
them at the distance of ten steps. It being dark, the Indians were
thereby halted. As no official report of this battle has been pre-
served, I will here give the report as obtained by Dr. Hale from a
letter published in the Belfast (Ireland) News Letter, a paper
published at that time.
BELFAST.
Yesterday arrived a mail from New York brought to Falmouth
by the Harriot packet boat, Captain Lee.
Williamsburg, Va., November 10th.
The following letter is just received from the camp on Point
Pleasant, at the mouth of the Great Kenhawa (as then spelled),
dated October 17, 1774:
"The following is a true statement of a battle fought at this
152 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
place on the 10th instant: On Monday morning about half an
hour before sunrise, two of Captain Eussell's company discovered a
large party of Indians about a mile from the camp, one of which
men was shot by the Indians; the other made his escape and
brought in the intelligence. In two or three minutes after, two of
Captain Shelby's men came in and confirmed the account.
"Colonel Andrew Lewis, being informed thereof, immediately
ordered out Colonel Charles Lewis, to take command of one hun-
dred and fifty of the Augusta troops, and with him went Captain
Dickinson, Captain Harrison, Captain Wilson, Captain John
Lewis, of Augusta, and Captain Lockridge, which made the first
division. Colonel Fleming was then ordered to take comn^and of
one hundred and fifty men of the Botetourt, Bedford, and Fin-
castle troops, viz., Captain Thomas Buford, from Bedford; Captain
Love, of Botetourt; Captain Shelby and Captain Eussell, of Fin-
castle, which made the second division.
"Colonel Charles Lewis's division marched to the right some
distance from the Ohio, and Colonel Fleming with his division, on
the bank of the Ohio to the left.
"Colonel Charles Lewis's division had not marched quite half
a mile from the camp when, about sunrise, an attack wac made on
the front of his division, in a most vigorous manner, by the united
tribes of Indians, Shawnese, Delawares, Mingoes, Tawas, and of
several other nations — in number not less than eight himdrcd, and
by many thought to be one thousand.
"In this heavy attack. Colonel Charles Lewis received a wound,
which, in a few hours caused his death, and several of his men fell
on the spot; in fact, the Augusta division was obliged to give way
to the heavy fire of the enemy. In about a second of a minute after
the attack on Colonel Lewis's division, the enemy engaged the front
of Colonel Fleming's division on the Ohio, and in a short time the
Colonel received two balls through his left arm and one through liis
breast, and, after animating the officers and soldiers, in a most f fdm
manner, to the pursuit of victory, retired to the camp.
"The loss in the field was sensibly felt by the officer- in par-
ticular; but the Augusta troops being shortly after reinforced from
the camp by Colonel Field, with his company, together with Cap-
tain McDowell, Captain Matthews, and Captain Stewart, from
Augusta ; Captain Paulin, Captain Arbuckle and Captain McClana-
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 153
h.m, from Botetourt, the enemy no longer able to maintain ihbiv
girimd, were forced to give way till they were in a line Avith the
troops. Colonel Fleming being left in the action on the Ohio.
"In this precipitate retreat Colonel Fleming was killed. During
this time, which was till after twelve, the action in a siT'.all degree
elated, but continued, except at short intervals, sharp enoacji till
after one o'clock. Their long retreat gave them a most ad\'anta-
geous spot of ground, from which it appeared to the otticer^ so diffi-
cult to dislodge them that it was thought most advisahlo to stand
as the line was then formed, which was about a mile and ^ <|ii.arter
in length, and had sustained till then a constant and equal v.-eight of
the action, from wing to wing.
"It was till alwiit half an hour of sunset they continued firing on
us scattered shots, which we returned to their disadvan'cago. At
length the night coming on they found a safe retreat.
•''Phey had not the satisfaction of carrying off any of our men's
scalps, save those of one or two stragglers they killed before the
engagement. Many of their dead they scalped, rather than we
should have them, but our troops scalped upwards of twenty of
their men that were first killed.
"It is beyond doubt their loss, in number, far excecided ours,
'.vhich is considerable.
"The return of the killed and wounded in the above battle, same
as our last, is as follows:
"Killed — Colonels Charles Lewis and John Fields, Captains
John Murray, E. McClanahan, Samuel Wilson, James Ward, Lieu-
tenant Hugh Allen, Ensigns Cantiff and Bracken, and forty-four
privates. Total killed, fifty-three.
"Wounded — Colonel William Fleming, Captains John Dickinson,
Thomas Buford, and I. Skidman, Lieutenants Goldman, Eobinson,
Lard and Vance, and seventy-nine privates. Total wounded, eighty-
seven; killed and wounded, one hundred and forty."
When Colonel Charles Lewis fell, Captain Evan Shelby succeed-
ed to the command of the regiment, and ^saac Shelby, his son,
succeeded to the command of his father's company, and late in the
evening General Lewis directed Captains Isaac Shelby, Matthews,
and Stewart to assail the Indians in the rear, by advancing up the
Kanawha river, protected by the bank and undergrowi:h. In the
execution of this order considerable difficulty was experienced, and
154 Southwest Virginia, 174-6-1786.
possibly, failure would have been the result had it not been for
the request of John Sawyers an Orderly Sergeant in Captain
Shelby's company, for permission to take a few men of the com-
pany and drive the Indians from the position which afforded them
protection. Permission was granted and the Indians were dislodged.
The companies above mentioned having gained their rear, the In-
dians precipitately took their flight across the Ohio.
It is generally admitted that this was one of the most hotly (on-
tested battles between the white men and the Indians that took
place in the history of the early settlement of our country. The
terrible conflict that took place between the white men and the
Indians in this battle is hard to depict in ordinary language. De
Hass thus describes the conflict :
"The battle scene was terribly grand. There stood the com-
batants, terror, rage, disappointment, and despair riveted upon the
faces of one, while calm resolution and the unbending will to do or
die were marked upon the other. Neither party would retreat,
neither could advance. The noise of the firing was tremendous. ISTo
single gun could be distinguished, it was one continuous roar.
"The rifle and the tomahawk now did their work with dreadful
certainty. The confusion and perturbation of the camp had now
arrived at its greatest height. The confused sounds and wild up-
roar of the battle added greatly to the terror of the scene. The
shouting of the whites, the continued roar of fire-arms, the war-
whoop and dismal yelling of the Indians, were discordant and ter-
rific.^
Colonel Christian, whom General Ivewis had left at Camp Union,
as soon as he had complied with the. orders of General Lewis, set
out for Point Pleasant, with all the troops under his command
except one company of Fincastle men, whom he left under the
command of Anthony Bledsoe at Camp Union to guard the sup-
plies and take care of the sick. He marched his troops with all
possible expedition, and arrived at Point Pleasant on the evening
of October 10th, after the battle had been fought. Soon thereafter.
Lord Dunmore negotiated a treaty of peace with the Indians at one
of their towns in Ohio, by which the northwest Indians ceded all
their claims to the lands lying south of the Ohio river, to the King
of England.
General Lewis marched his army back to Camp Union where it
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 155
was disbanded. The body of militia that went from Fincastle upon
this expedition were armed with rifle guns, and, being good woods-
men, were looked upon to be at least equal to any troops for the
number that had been raised, in America. It is sufficient to know
that the credit of having been the first to discover the approach
of the Indians, and thereby, possibly, to secure the preservation of
General Lewis's army, was due to the vigilance of the backwoods-
men from Fincastle. And in addition to that, it should be a mat-
ter of pride to every citizen of this section of Virginia to know that
the troops from the waters of the Clinch and the Holston were
among the number to receive the first assault of the enemy, and to
their skill and bravery may be accredited, the successful flanking,
and consequently the precipitate rout, of the Indian army. The
killed and wounded among the Fincastle troops were considerable.
The names of a few of the killed and wounded are given below :
Eobert Campbell, private, afterwards granted a pension of 10
pounds per year.
James Hughey, killed.
James Eobinson, wounded.
Mark Williams, private, killed.
John Carmack, private, wounded.
John Steward, wounded.
John McKenney, wounded, three times.
Lieutenant Vance, wounded.
The following is a partial list of the men who accompanied Cap-
tain Evan Shelby on this expedition :
Isaac Shelby, Captain. Eobert Handley,
James Eobertson, 0. S. William Casey,
James Shelby, John Stewart, wounded;
Henry Span, Eichard Burke,
Frederick Mongle, Elijah Eobertson,
John Carmack, Eichard Holliway,
George Brooks, Julius Eobison,
Abram Newland, Benjamin Graham,
Emanuel Shoatt, Hugh O'Gullion,
Peter Forney, James Hughey,
John Fain, . Basileel Maxwell,
Samuel Fain, Valentine Sevier, 0. S.,
Samuel Samples, John Sawyers, 0. S.,
156
Southwest Virginia, 171,6-1786.
Jolm Find ley,
Daniel Mongle,
John Williams,
Andrew Torrenee,
Isaac Newland,
George Eiddle,
Abram Boga^-d,
William Tucker,
Samuel Vance,
^ Samuel Hand ley,
Arthur Blackburn,
George Armstrong,
Mack Williams,
Conrad Nave,
John Riley,
Rees Price,
Jarrett Williams,
Charles Fielder,
Andrew Goff,
Patrick St. Lawrence,
John Bradley,
Barnett O'Guillion.
Captain Wm. Russell's company:
James Mooney, Joseph Hughey.
FINCASTLE TROOPS.
COMPANIES NOT KNOWN.
Daniel Smith,
Rohert Campbell,
Andrew Waggoner,
Jolm Gilmore,
John Lyle,
Francis Berry,
James Robinson,
Hickman,
AVilliam Tate,
George Findley,
Rees Bowen.
Walter Steward, Adjt.
Fincastle troops.
William- Campbell, Captain.
William McFarland,
John McKenney,
John Moore,
Conrad Smith,
John Floyd,
John Steward,
John Campbell, Lieutenant;
"Moses Bowen, died with
small-pox on expedition ;
Daniel Boone, upon his return fi'om Kentucky to Russell's Fort,
on the 13th day of August, found Captain William Russell absent
on the Point Pleasant expedition, and he immediately set out with
a body of troops to reinforce him, but was ordered back to protect
the settlers on the Clinch, where he remained for some time.
The forts on Clinch river, at this time, with the number of men
in each and the officers in command, were as follows :
Fort Blackmore, sixteen men, "Sergeant Moore commanding.
Fort Moore, (twenty miles east), twenty men, Lieutenant Daniel
Boone commanding. Fort Russell (four miles east), twenty men,
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 157
Sergeant W. Poa^ eonimancling. Fort Glade Hollow, (twelve miles
east), fifteen vaeA, Sergeant John Duncan commanding. Elk Gar-
den* (fourteen miles east), fifteen men, Sergeant John Kinkead
commanding. Maiden Spring, (twenty-three miles east), five men,
Sergeant John Crow commanding. Whitlow's Crab Orchard, three
men. Ensign John Campbell commanding.
Boone was very diligent in protecting the settlements and was
commissioned Captain for his valued services.
As soon as the Indians ascertained that so many of the citizens
from the waters of the Clinch were absent on the expedition to
Point Pleasant, they began a series of very alarming raids. On the
8th of September, 1774, they visited the home of John Henry, on
the Clinch river, now in Tazewell county, Virginia, in Thompson's
Yalley, he, having on the 15th day of May of the same year, settled
upon a tract of land that Daniel Smith, Deputy Surveyor of Fin-
castle county, had surveyed for him. Henry received a dangerous
wound from which he died, his wife and three children were taken
prisoners, and on the same day a man was taken prisoner by an-
other party of Indians on the Hplston river. On the 13th day of
September, 1774, a soldier was fired upon by three Indians on the
Clinch river, but was not hurt. He returned the fire and, it is be-
lieved, killed an Indian. This company of Indians were pursued
for several days, by Captain Daniel Smith and a company of militia,
but they could not be overtaken. On tlie 23d, two negroes were
taken prisoners at Blackmore's Fort, on waters of Clinch river, and
a great many horses and cattle were shot down. On the 24th day
of the same month, an entire family were taken and killed, at Reedy
Creek, a branch of the Holston river, near the Cherokee line. On
Sunday morning, the 25tli, hallooing and the report of many guns
were heard. These last murders were believed to be the work of the
Cherokees, who appeared at that time in very bad humor.
The victory gained at Point Pleasant on the 10th of October put
a stop to all organized raids upon the frontier settlements, for the
time being. Upon the return of the Fincastle troops from the expe-
dition to Point Pleasant, the free-holders of Fincastle county as-
sembled at the Lead Mines and drafted an address to the Hon.
John, Earl of Dunmore, thanking him heartily for his exertions in
*Aboiit six miles east of Lebanou on North Fork of Cedar Creek, on land of
the Stuart Land & Cattle Company.
V'-
158 Southwest Virgima, 1746-1786.
their behalf in the late war, and expressed the wish that the late
disturbances might be amicably settled.
On the 14th day of April, 1774, Dr. Thomas Walker conveyed to
James Piper 365 acres of land on a branch of the Holston river
.called Wolf Hill Creek ; on tJie same day, he conveyed to Alexander
Breckenridge 360 acres on Wolf Hill Creek, to Samuel Briggs 313
acres on Wolf Hill Creek, alias Castle's Creek, to Joseph Black, 305
acres on Eighteen Mile Creek (this being the name of the small
=*-.cre.ek that flows through Abingdon) and to Andrew Colvill, 334
acres on Wolf Hill Creek. The persons above named were the first
v settlers in the vicinity of Abingdon.
In the spring of the year 1774, the free-holders of Fincastle
county met at the Lead Mines, their courthouse, and elected two
members of the Virginia House of Burgesses to represent Fincastle
county, viz. :
William Christian, Stephen Trigg.
It may not be amiss at this point to state briefly the laws gO'V-
erning the qualifications required of the citizens of Fincastle coun-
ty to vote and hold office, in this, the last year that the Colony
of Virginia adhered to the crown of England. The freeholders of
every county possessed the liberty of electing two of the most able
and fit men, being freeholders and qualified to vote, to represent
their county in all the General Assemblies. The electors or voters
were required to own an estate of freehold for his own life or the
life of another, or other greater estate in at least fifty acres of land,
if no settlement be made upon it, or twenty-five acres with a planta-
tion and house thereon at least twelve feet square, said property be-
ing in the county in which the electors offered to vote. The sheriff
was required to deliver to the minister and reader of every parish in
his county a copy of the writ of election, and, upon the back of
every such writ, he was required to endorse the fact that said elec-
tion would be held at the courthouse in his county upon a day
appointed by him. And the minister or reader was required to
publish the same immediately after divine services, every Sunday
between the receipt of said writ and the day of election, under
heavy penalty for failure to do so. It was further provided
that every freeholder actually residing in the county should per-
sonally appear at the courthouse on the day fixed and give his vote,
upon the penalty of forfeiting two hundred pounds of tobacco, if he
Southwest Virginia, 17^6-1786. 159
failed to vote. The sheriff was required to appoint fit persons, and
these persons after being duly sworn, were required to enter the
names of every candidate in a distinct column, and the name of
every freeholder giving his vote, under the name of the person
voted for, all of which was required to be done in the presence of
the candidates or their agents, and upon the close of the polls the
sheriff was ordered to proclaim the names of the successful candi-
dates. And it was further provided, that any person who should
directly or indirectly, except in Ms usual and ordinary course of
hospitality, in his own house, give, present, or allow to any person
or persons, having voice or vote in such elections, any money, meat,
drink, entertainment or provisions, or make any present, gift, re-
ward, or entertainment, or any promise, agreement, obligation, or
engagement, to any person, etc., shall be declared guilty of bribery
and corruption,* and rendered incapable to sit, or vote, or to hold
office."
Thus it will be seen that the laws were very strict in regard to the
manner of holding elections, and it cannot be doubted, that an elec-
tion held under such laws would be honest and would express the
will of the people. Our present law-makers might well learn a
lesson from the example set them by the law-makers of the Colony
of Virginia, under the rule of King George III.
Early in the history of Fincastle county, the House of Burgesses
enacted a law which provided, "that from and after the first day
of December next, the inhabitants of the said county of Fincastle
shall discharge all fees due from them to the secretary and other
officers in said county at the rate of 8s and 4 pence, for every hun-
dredweight of gross tobacco.
The principle asserted by the regulators at the Alamance had
spread among the American colonies, until, at the time mentioned,
it seemed to permeate the whole American body politic, and, on the
other hand', the British Parliament had repealed all the port dnties
imposed at their session in 1767, except the duty of three pence a
pound on tea, which was continued for the purpose of maintaining
the principle contended for by the British Parliament, to- wit: that
they had the right to tax the American Colonists without giving
them representation, and not for the purpose of revenue only.
*8 Hen. S., page 526.
160 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
The American Colonists were opposed' to the principle of taxation
without representation, and they opposed a small tax as bitterly
as they opposed the port duties of 1767. The collection of the tax
was resisted at every point, and, at Boston, the cargoes of tea were
thrown into the sea. Whereupon the British Parliament passed
a bill closing Boston Harbor, upon which information great indig-
nation pervaded the entire colonies. The House of Burgesses of
Virginia observed the first day of the operation of the bill closing
Boston Harbor, as a fast day, and declared : "That any attack made
on one of our sister colonies to compel submission to arbitrary taxes
is an attack ma^e on all British America, and threatened ruin to the
rights of all, unless the united wisdom of the whole be applied."
And they proposed a general Congress to take such action as the
united interests of the American Colonies might require. This
suggestion, made by the House of Burgesses, was accepted by all
the colonies and the first Continental Congress met in Philadelphia,
on the 5th day of September, 1774, just one month and five
clays preceding the battle of Point Pleasant.
The officers and men under command of Lord Dunmore, hearing
of the action of the first Continental Congress, met and adopted
a resolution, which was as follows :
"Eesolved, That as the love of liberty and attachment to the
real Interests and just rights of America outweigh every other
consideration, they would exert every power within them for
the defence of American Liberty and for the support of her just
rights and privileges; not in any precipitate, riotous, or tumultu-
ous manner, but when regularly called forth by the unanimous
voice of our countrymen."
THE EEVOLITTIOlSr.
The period with which we now purpose to deal will be ever
remembered, by reason of the production of one of those master-
pieces of political evolution which moidd the world and fix the
destiny of mankind, an event unsurpassed in the history of the
world; the founding of the American Pepublic. In dealing witli
this subject, we deem it necessary to an intelligent understanding
of the motives and actions of the men of that day, to give, with some
particularity, the story complete, from its inception to its culmina-
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 161
tion, recognizing that a story partly told is misleading, and the
true merits of a controversy are oftentimes obscured by a mutilated
statement, or a half-told tale. For ten years preceding the resort
of the American Colonies to extreme measures, a bitterly contested
controversy constantly engaged the attention of the British Gov-
ernment and the American Colonies, and it has been well said by
one of the fathers of our country, that the "Revolution was fin-
ished before the war was commenced." Indeed, it seems to the stu-
dent of our early history at this distance from the time of the
occurrences of which we are now Avriting, that our early fathers in
leaving their homes, the highlands of Scotland', the bogs of Ireland,
the fertile lands of old England, were imbued with exceedingly un-
favorable feelings toward the land of their nativity. They were
devoid of that affection which usually accompanies the wanderer
from his native home, and it is certain that they lost no opportunity
to instil their prejudices and dislikes into the minds of their chil-
dren and neighbors, and to resist the operation and execution of
the laws enacted by the British Parliament and the rules attempted
to be enforced by the Governors of the Colonies. This spirit was
evidenced in old Virginia as early as 16C6, at the time of Bacon's
Rebellion. This spirit, so prevalent among the English colonies in
America, can be attributed to the fact that a large majority of the
early emigrants were driven from their homes by the tyranny of
the English Government, and, after establishing themselves in
this country, their hatred was accentuated by the arbitrary conduct
of the English ministry, in pursuing a contracted policy, the natural
result of which was to abridge the liberties and property rights of
the colonies. A large majority of the early emigrants to the Amer-
ican colonies were inspired by that spirit of liberty that has been
so much cherished in the history of our country. They were be-
lievers in the principles which prevailed at the time of the execu-
tion of Charles the First. Many of them were the followers of
Oliver Cromwell, and detested the arbitrary conduct of the King
and the rulers of England, and it was from this cause that they left
their native country to seek a home in the wilderness, vnth the deter-
mination never to submit to the oppressions of their native land.
Many of the early emigrants found their homes among the high
mountains and the pathless deserts of the new continent, the
nursery of the spirit of freedom. Among the early emigrants to
162 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
this new country were numerous "Dissenters," a class of people
who worsEipped God according to their own reason and conscience,
men who acknowledged no authority but that which had been estab-
lished by their own sanction and consent, and this applied to their
religious principles as well as to their ideas of government. They
did not admit the right of the British government to compel them
either to attend or to support the established church.
They were principally from the middle classes, and neither ad-
mitted nor countenanced any claims to honor or distinction, save
such as arose from the exercise of industry, talent, or virtue. In
their native country they had been tenants, and did not regard
themselves superior to the lowest of their fellow citizens; in their
new homes they were freeholders, and believed themselves equal to
the best, and, naturally, they soon detested that idea which prevailed
in the English government, in accordance with which individuals
pretended to be their natural rulers and superiors.
During the French-Indian war, the British Ministry proposed a
union of the Colonies for the purpose of repelling the French en-
croachments on the western waters; and, pureuant to this proposi-
tion, the Governor and leading members of the provincial assem-
blies convened at Albany, N. Y., in the year 1754. This Assembly
was unanimously of the opinion, that the Colonies were able to
defend themselves from the encroachments of the French without
assistance from the English Government. They proposed "that a
Grand Council should be formed of members to be chosen by the
provincial Assemblies, which Council, together with a governor to
be appointed by the Crown, should be authorized to make general
laws, and, also, to raise money from all the Colonies for their com-
mon defence." This proposition was received by the British Min-
istry with displeasure, and, in answer thereto, the ministry submit-
ted a counter-proposition, which was as follows : "That the Gov-
ernors of all the Colonies, attended by one or two members of their
respective Councils, should, from time to time, concert measures for
the whole of the Colonies, erect posts and raise troops, with a power
to draw upon the British treasury, in the first instance, for the
expense, which expense was to be reimbursed by a tax to be laid on
the Colonies by an act of Parliament."
It will be well to observe that thus early began the contentions
between the British Parliament and the English Colonies ; the Brit-
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 163
ish Ministry seeking to lodge the taxing power in the hands of the
British Parliament, a body in which the American Colonies were
not permitted to have representation, whereas, the Colonies insisted
that the taxing power should be vested in their local institutions.
This proposition upon the part of the British Ministry gave great
dissatisfaction to the people of the Colonies, as they objected to
being taxed by a body in which they had no representation, but no
further action was taken in regard to the matter, until the conclu-
sion of the war, in 1763.
Previously to the year 1764, when the British Parliament desired
a contribution from the American Colonies, the object was accom-
plished by a simple requisition upon the legislatures of the several
Colonies for the sum needed and, in every instance, the requisition
had been honored and the money furnished with a willing hand.
But, in tliis year, the British Parliament sought to obtain from
tlie American Colonies by a speedier method the taxes desired.
A measure was proposed in the British Parliament by the Pre-
mier, George Grenville, in the year 1764, having for its object, "the
raising of a revenue in America," the entire proceeds of which were
to go into the exchequer of Great Britain.
We have before mentioned the dissatisfaction produced by the
proposition to have the British Parliament levy a tax upon the
American Colonies, when the entire proceeds of the tax were to be
used for the development and the protection of the Colonies, and
the reader can well imagine the alarm and indignation that pre-
vailed in the American Colonies at the suggestion of the British
Premier, that the British Parliament should lay a tax upon the
American Colonies, the entire proceeds of which were to go into the
exchequer of Great Britain.
Pursuant to the foregoing proposition, Mr. Grenville, on the
lOtli of March, ,1764, reported a resolution imposing certain
""stamp duties" on the colonies, with the request that it shoidd not
be acted upon till the next session of the Parliament. This gave
the agents of the colonies in England an opportunity to transmit
copies of this resolution to the assemblies of the several colonies.
At the time of the receipt of this information the Virginia
House of Burgesses was in session, and immediately appointed a
committee to prepare an address to the King of Great Britain and
to the two houses of the British Parliament. We hare give the
164 Southwest Virginia, 17J,0-17S6.
several addresses in full as prepared by this committee and re-
ported to the Mouse of Burgesses "To the King's most excellent
Majesty."
"Most gracious Sovereign,
"We, your Majesty's dutiful and loyal subjects, the Council and
Burgesses of your ancient C'olony and dominion of Virginia,
now met in General Assembly, beg leave to assure your Majesty of
our fii'm and inviolable attachment to your sacred person and gov-
ernment; and, as your faithful subjects here, have at all times
been zealous to demonstrate this truth by a ready coaupliance
with the royal requisitions during the late war, by which a heavy
oppressive debt of near half a million hath been incurred, so at
this time they implore permission to approach the throne with
humble confidence, and to entreat that your Majesty will be gra-
ciously pleased to protect your people of this Colony in the en-
joyment of their ancient and inestimable right of being gov-
erned by such laws, respecting their internal polity and taxation,
as are derived from their own consent, with the approbation of
their Sovereign or his substitute; a right which, as men, and
descendants of BEITONS, they have ever quietly possessed, since
first, by royal permission and encouragement, they left the mother
kingdom to extend its commerce and dominion.
"Your Majesty's dutiful subjects of Virginia most humbly and
unanimously hope that this invaluable birthright, descended to
them from their ancestors, and in which they have been protected
by your royal predecessors, will not be suffered to receive an injury,
under the reign of your sacred Majesty, already so illustriously
distinguished by your gTacious attention to the liberties of the
people.
"That your Majesty may long live to make nations happy, is
the ardent prayer of your faithful subjects, the Council and Bur-
gesses of Virginia."
The memorial to the House of Lords was as follows :
"To the right honorable the Lord's Spiritual and Temporal, in
Parliament assembled; the Memorial of the Council and Bur-
gresses of Virginia, now met in General Assembly humbly rep-
resents,
"That your memorialists hope an application to your lordships,
the fixed and hereditary guardians of British liberty, will not be
Southivest Virginia, 1746-1786. 165
thought improper at this time, when measures are proposed suh-
versive, as they conceive, of that freedom which all men, especiall}'
those who derive their constitution from Britain, have a right to
enjoy; and they flatter themselves that 3'our lordships will not
look upon them as objects so unworthy your attention as to regard
any impropriety in the form or manner of their application for
your lordship's protection of their just and undoubted right as
Britons.
"It cannot be presumption in your memorialists to call them-
selves by this distinguished name, since they are descended from
Britons who left their native country to extend its territory and
dominion and who, happily for Briton, and as your memorialists
once thought, for themselves too, effected this purpose. As our
ancestors brought with them every right and privilege they could
with justice claim in their mother kingdom, their descendants may
conclude they cannot be deprived of those rights without injustice.
"Your memorialists conceive it to be a fundamental principle
of the British constitution, without which freedom can no where
exist, that the people are not sul^jcct to any taxes but such as are
laid on them by their own consent, or by those who are legally
appointed to represent them ; property must become too precarious
for the genius of a free people, whicli can be taken from them at
the will of others who cannot know M^hat taxes such people can
bear, or the easiest mode of raising them ; and who are not under
that restraint which is the greatest security against a burthensome
taxation, when the representatives themselves must be affected by
every tax imposed on the people.
"Your memorialists are therefore led into an humble confidence
that your lordships will not think any reason sufficient to support
such a power in the British Parliament, where the Colonies can-
not be represented : a power never before constitutionally assumed,
and which, if they have a right to exercise it on any occasion, must
necessarily establish this melancholy truth, that the inhabitants of
the Colonies are the slaves of Britons, from whom they are
descended, and from whom they might expect every indulgence that
the obligations of interest and affection can entitle them to.
"Your memorialists have been invested with the right of taxing
their own people from the first establishment of a regular govern-
ment in the Colony, and requisitions have been constantly made
166 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
to them by their sovereigns on all occasions when the assist-
ance of the Colony was thought necessary to preserve the British
interest in America; from whence they must conclude, they can-
not now be deprived of a ri,uiit they have so long enjoyed and
which they have never forfeited.
"The expenses incurred during the last war, in compliance with
the demands on this C^olony by our late and present most gracious
Sovereigns, have involved us in a debt of near half a million, a
debt not likely to decrease under the continued expense we are at in
providing for the security of the people against the incursions of
our savage neighbors, at a time when the low state of our staple
commodit}', the total want of specie and the late restrictions upon
the trade of the Colonies, render the circumstances of the people
extremely distressful; and wliich, if taxes are accumulated upon
them by the British Parliament, will make them truly deplorable.
"Your memorialisty cannot suggest to themselves any reason
why they should not still be trusted with the property ol their peo-
ple, with whose abilities and the least burthensome mode of taxing
(with great deference to the superior wisdom of Parliament) they
must be best acquainted.
Your memorialists hope they shall not be suspected of being
actuated on this occasion by any principles but those of the purest
loyalty and affection, as they have always endeavored by their con-
duct to demonstrate that they considered their connexion with
Great Britain, the seat of liberty, as their greatest happiness.
"The duty they owe to themselves, and their posterity lays your
memorialists under the necessity of endeavoring to estalilish their
Constitution upon its proper foundation ; and they do most hum-
bly pray your lordships to take this subject into your consideration,
with the attention that is due to^ the well being of the Colonies, on
which the prosperity of Great Britain does, in a great measure,
depend."
• And the remonstrance to the House of Commons was this :
"To the honorable Knights, Citizens and Burgesses of Great Brit-
ain in Parliament assembled :
"The remonstrance of the Council and Burgesses of Virginia.
"It appearing by the printed votes of the House of Commons
of Great Britain, in Parliament assembled, that in a committee
of the whole House, the 17th day of March last, it was resolved, that
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 167
towards defending, protecting and securing the British Colonies
and Plantations in America, it may be proper to charge certain
stamp duties in the said Colonies and Plantations; and it being
apprehended that the same subject, which was then declined, may
be resumed and further pursued in a succeeding session, the Coim-
cil and Burgesses of Virginia, met in the General Assembly, judge
it their indispensable duty, in a respectful manner, but with decent
firmness, to remonstrate against such a measure, that at least a
cession of those rights, which in their opinion must be infringed
by that procedure, may not be inferred from their silence at so
important a crisis.
"They conceive it is essential to British liberty, that laws, impos-
ing taxes on the people, ought not to. be made without the consent of
representatives chosen by themselves; who at the same timje that
they are acquainted with the circumstances of their constituents,
sustain a portion of the burthen laid on them. The privileges
inlierent in the persons who discovered and settled these regions,
could not be renounced nor forfeited by their remO'Val hither, not
as vagabonds or fugitives, but licensed and encouraged by their
Prince and animated with a laudable desire of enlarging the
British dominion and extending its commerce; on the contrary, it
was secured to them and their descendants, with all other rights
and immunities of British subjects, by a Eoyal Charter which
liath been invariably recognized and confirmed by his Majesty and
liis predecessors, in their commissions to the several Governors,
granting a power and prescribing a form of legislation, according to
which, laws for the administration of justice and the welfare and
good government of the Colony have been hitherto enacted by the
Governor, Council and General Assembly, and to them, requisitions
and applications for supplies have been directed by the Crown.
As an instance of the opinion which former Sovereigns entertained
of these rights and privileges, we beg leave to refer to the three
Acts of the General Assembly passed in the thirty-second year of
the reign of King Charles II, one of which is entitled 'An Act for
raising a public revenue for the better support of the government
of his Majesty's Colony of Virginia,' imposing several duties for
that purpose, which, being thought absolutely necessary, were pre-
pared in England and sent over by their then governor, the Lord
Culpeper, to be passed by the General Assembly, with a full power
ICxS Southwest Virginia, 17JfG-17SG.
to give tlie royal assent thereto, and which were accordingly passed,
after several amendments were made to them here; thus tender
was his Majesty of tlu^ rights of his American subjects; and the
remonstrants do not discern by what distinction they can be
deprived of that sacred birthright and most valuable inheritance
by their fellow subjects, nor with what propriety they can be taxed
or affected in their estates, by the Parliament, wherein they are not,
and indeed cannot, constitutionally be represented.
"And if it wore proposed for the Parliament to impose taxes on
the Colonics at all, which the remonstrants take leave to think
would be inconsistent with the fundamental principles of the Con-
stitution, the exercise of that power, at this time, would be ruinous
to Virginia, who exerted herself in the late war, it is feared,
beyond her strength, insomuch that to redeem the money granted
for that exigency, her people are taxed for several years to come :
this, with the larger expenses incurred for defending the frontiers
against the restless Indians who have infested her as much since
the peace as before, is so grievous, that an increase of the burthen
would be intolerable; especially as the people are very greatly dis-
tressed already from the scarcity of circulating cash among them
and from the little value of their staple at the British markets.
"And it is presumed that adding to that load which the Colony
now labors under will not be more oppressive to her people than
destructive of the interest of Great Britain ; for the Plantation
trade, confined as it is to the mother country, hath been a principal
means of multiplying and enriching her inhabitants; and, if not too
much discouraged, may prove an inexhaustible source of treasure
to the nation. For satisfaction on this jwint, let the present state
of the British fleets and trade be compared with what they were
before the settlement of the Colonies ; and let it be considered, that,
whilst property in land may be acquired on very easy terms in the
vast imcultivated territory of North Amei'iea, the Colonists svill
be mostly, if not wholly, employed in agriculture, whereby the
exportation of their comiiindities to Great Britain and ihe con-
sumption of manufactnrers supplied from thence will be daily
increasing. But this most desirable connexion between Great
Britain and her Colonies, supported by such a happy intercourse
of reciprocal benefits as is continually advancing the prosperity
of both, must be interrupted, if the people of the latter, reduced
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 169
to extreme poverty, should be compelled to maniifactiire those arti-
cles they have been hitherto furnished with from the former.
"From these considerations, it is hoped that the Honorable House
of Commons will not prosecute a measure which those who may
suffer under it cannot but look upon as fitter for exiles driven from
their native country, after ignominiously forfeiting her favors and
protection, than for the posterity of Britons, who have at all times
been forward to demonstrate all due reverence to the mother
Kingdom and are so instrumental in promoting her glory and
felicity ; and that British patriots will never consent to the exercise
of any anti-constitutional power, which, even in this remote cor-
ner, may be dangerous in its example to the interior parts of the
British empire, and will certainly be detrimental to its commerce."
The several papers above given breathe a spirit of humility and
dependence that did not correctly voice the sentiments of the Vir-
ginia Colonists, and possibly thereby the British Parliament was
deceived and led to believe that the American Colonies would not
assert their opposition to the tax measures proposed, otherwise
than by protest through their Assemblies.
Most of the Colonies adopted resolutions protesting against the
enactment of such a law ; some offering a specific sum of money in
lieu of the proposed tax, provided it was received as a voluntary
donation. But no one of the Colonies was willing to admit that
the British Parliament had any right to tax them, while they were
denied representation therein.
Mr. Grenville and his friends argued that the Colonies were
already represented in the same manner as a large proportion of the
inhabitants of England who had no vote in the election of mem-
bers of Parliament, and this same argument is often indulged in
by the advocates of a restricted suffrage at the present time. In
answer to this ridiculous argument, the Colonies contended that
"the very essence of representation consists in this; that the
representative is himself placed in a situation analogous to those
whom he represents, so that he shall be himself bound by laws which
he is entrusted to enact and shall be liable to the taxes which he
is authorized to impose."
But the soamd reasoning and the humble petitioning of the
American Colonies did not influence the British Parliament, the
memorials and petitions were not permitted to be read in the House
170 Southwest Virginia-, 1746-1786.
of Coninioiis, and iu the month of March, 17G5, the hill for laying
a stamp duty in .America was called up in the House of Commons,
but little o|)})osition was shown to the measure, and few indeed were
the members who denied the right of Parliament to tax the Colo-
nies.
It may be worthy to note the circumstances attending the
debate upon this measure in the House of Commons. Mr. Charles
Townsend, an advocate of this measure, concluded his speech in
advocacy of the measure in the following words; "And now, will
these Americans, children planted hy our care, nourished, hi/ our
indulgence, till they are grown to a degree of strength and opulence
and protected hy our arms, will they grudge to contribute their
mite to' relieve us from the heavy weight of that burden which we
lie under?" Colonel Barre, one of the most respectable mem-
bers of the House of Commons, with strong feelings of indignation
visible in his countenance and manner, thus eloquently replied ;
"They planted hy your care! No, your oppression planted them
in America. They fled from tyranny to a then uncultivated and
inhospitable country, where they exposed themselves to almost all
the hardships to which human nature is liable, and among others
to the cruelty of a savage foe, the most subtle, and I will take upon
me to say, the most formidable of any people upon the face of
the earth ; and yet, actuated by principles of true English liberty,
they met all hardships with pleasure compared with those they
suffered in their own country from the hands of those that should
have been their friends. They nourished hy your indulgence!
They grew up by your neglect of them. As soon as you began to
care about them, that care was exercised in sending persons to rule
them in one department and another, who were perhaps the deputies
of deputies to some members of this House, sent to spy out their
liberties, to misrepresent their actions and to prey upon them.
Men whose behaviour, on many occasions, has caused the blood of
these sons of liberty to recoil within them, men, who were pro-
moted to the highest seats of justice, some who, to my knowledge,
were glad, by going to a foreign coimtry to escape being brought to
the bar of a court of justice in their own. They protected hy your
arms! They have nobly taken up arms in your defence, have
exerted a valour, amidst their constant and laborious industry, for
the defence of a country whose frontier was drenched in blood.
Southwest Virginia, 17^6-1786. 171
while its interior parts yielded all its little savings to yoim*
emolument. And, believe me, remember I this day told you so,
that same spirit of freedom which actuated that people at first
will accompany them still; but prudence forbids me to explain
myself further. God knows I do not at this time speak from any
motives of party heat. What I deliver are the genuine sentiments
of my heart. However superior to me in general knowledge and
experience the respectable body of this House may be, yet, I claim
to know more of America than most of you, having seen and been
conversant in that country. The people, I believe, are as truly
loyal as any subjects the King has, but a people jealous of their
liberties, and who will vindicate them if ever they should be vio-
lated. But the subject is too delicate. I will say no more."
Notwithstanding the opposition made to the passage of this bill,
it passed the House of Commons, and on the 22d day of March,
1765, having met with the unanimous approval of the House of
Lords, it received the royal assent. By the provisions of this bill,
this law was not to go into effect until the first day of November,
1765.
When the intelligence of the passage of this measure reached
Virginia, the indignation and rage of the people knew no bounds.
While no violence was offered, the Virginia House of Burgesses, by
a series of resolutions proposed by Patrick Henry, expressed the
sentiments of the people in a dignified and explicit manner, the
resolutions being as follows;
"Eesolved, That the first adventurers and settlers of this, his
Majesty's Colony and dominion, brought with them and trans-
mitted to their posterity and all others his Majesty's subjects
since inhabiting in this, his Majesty's said Colony, all the privileges,
franchises and immunities that have been at any time held, enjoyed
and possessed by the people of Great Britain.
"Eesolved, That by two Eoyal Charters granted by King James
the First, the Colonists aforesaid are declared entitled to all the
privileges, liberties and immunities of denizens and natural born
subjects, to all intents and purposes, as if they had been abiding
and born within the realm of England.
"Eesolved, That the taxation of the people by themselves, or
by persons chosen by themselves to represent them, who can only
know what taxes the people are able to bear and the easist mode
173 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
of raising tliem and arc equally affected by sucli taxes themselves,
is the distinguishing characteristic of British freedom, and with-
out which the ancient constitution cannot subsist.
"Resolved, That his Majesty's liege people of this most ancient
Colony have uninterruptedly enjoyed the right of being thus gov-
erned by their own assembly in the article of their taxes and inter-
nal police, and the same hath never been forfeited, or in any other
way given up, but hath been constantly recognized by the King and
people of Great Britain.
"Resolved, therefore, That the General Assembly of this Colony
have the sole right and power to lay taxes and impositions upon
the inhabitants of this Colony; and that every attempt to vest
such power in any person or persons whatsoever, other than tho
General Assembly aforesaid, has a manifest tendency to destroy
British as well as American freedom."
The foregoing resolutions passed the House of Burgesses in May,
1765, and formed the first opposition to the. Stamp Act and the
scheme of taxing America by the British Parliament. Heretofore,
it had been humble petitions, now, we have reached the point
where the Colonies were defiantly asserting their rights. Patrick
Henry, at this time, was quite a young man, this being the first
time that he had served his country in the House of Burgesses, and,
while he was inexperienced, he was inspired by that spirit of liberty
which was the common heritage of the early settlers of the Amer-
ican wilderness. "When these resolutions were offered in the House
of Burgesses, many violent debates took place, and, after a great
deal of oppasition, the resolutions were adopted by a majority of,
possibly, one or two votes. During the progress of the debate upon
these resolutions, Patrick Henry gave utterance to the following
words ;
"Caesar," exclaimed the orator, "had his Brutus ; Charles the
First, his Cromwell, nnd George the Third may profit by his ex-
ample."
The passage of these resolutions gave impetus to tlie cause of
American liberty and produced an alarming state of affairs among
the uiore timid and loyal inhal)itants. In Massachusetts the opj)osi-
tion took a different form, and, in the city of Boston, the populace
indulged in every act of violence that could be imagined, in the
exhibition of their dislike of the law and the law officers. The
Southwest Virginia, l7Jf6-1786. 1'<'3
ships in the harhor placed their flags at half mast, the bells
tlironghoiit the town were tolling, the ship masters who bought the
stamps were mistreated and insulted and required to deliver the
stamps to the people, who made a bonfire of them and of the law.
Meetings were held througliout the colonies, protesting against
this act of the British Parliament and asserting the inalienable
right of the American people.
On the second Tuesday in October, 1765, pursuant to a resolu-
tion adopted by the Assembly of Massachusetts, the first Couti-
nental Congress assembled at New York, "to consult as to the
circumstances of the Colonies and to consider the most proper
means of averting the diflficulties under which they labored."
Twenty-eight deputies, representing the States of Massachusetts,
Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware,
Maryland and South Carolina, composed this, the first Continental
Congress held on American soil ; Virginia, New York, North Caro-
lina and Georgia were prevented from sending delegates to this
Congress by the action of their royal Governors, by dissolving their
respective assemblies before action could be taken in the premises.
This Congress adopted a series of resolutions stating the griev-
ances of the Colonies and, in positive terms, asserting the exemp-
tion of the Colonies fro'm all taxes not imposed by their own Legis-
latures. They also addressed a petition to the House of Lords and
to the King and Commons, and on the 25th of October adjourned.
The first day of November, 1765, the date fixed for the Stamp
Act to take efi'ect, arrived, and the day in the city of Boston was
ushered in by the closing of business houses and the tolling of church
bells, and Governor Bernard and Justice Hutchinson, the advocates
of the British Parliament in Massachusetts, were hung in effigy
on Boston Neck, where the effigies were permitted tO' remain awhile,
when they were cut down and torn to pieces, to the great delight
of the people. In many places public notice was given to the
friends of TAberty to attend her funeral, and a large coffin was
prepared, upon which was written the word LIBERTY. This
coffin was attended to tlie grave by an immense concourse of people,
where, after the firing o,f minute-guns, an oration was pro-
nounced, and the word REVIVED added to the former inscription,
amidst the shouts and acclamations of the people. Throughout the
Colonies the stamp papers were forcibly taken from the stamp
174 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
officials and destroyed, and the business of the country proceeded
as if the Stamp law had never been enacted.
Upon the assembling of Parliament on the 14th day of January,
17()(), upon a motion for an address to the King, William Pitt, one
of the greatest of English statesmen, offered the following remarks
upon the state of the country;
"It is a long time, Mr. Speaker," said he, "since I have attended
in Parliament. When the resolutions were taken in this House to
tax America, I was ill in bed. If I could have endured to have
been carried in my bed, so great was the agitation of my mind for
the consequences, I would have solicited some kind hand to have
laid me down on this floor to have borne my testimony against it.
It is my opinion that this Kingdom has no right to lay a tax upon
the Colonies. At the same time, I assert the authority of this
Kingdom to be sovereign and supreme in every circumstance of
government and legislature whatever. Taxation is no part of the
governing or legislative power; the taxes are a voluntary gift and
grant of the Commons alone. The concurrence of the Peers and of
the Crown is necessary only as a form of law. This House repre-
sents the Commons of Great Britain. When in this House we
give and grant, therefore, we give and grant what is our own, btit
can we give and grant the property of the Commons of America'?
It is an absurdity in terms. There is an idea in some, that the
Colonies are virtually represented in this House. I would fain
know hy whomf . The idea of virtual representation is the most
contemptible that ever entered into the head of man; it does not
deserve a serious refutation. The Commons in America, repre-
sented in their several assembles, have invariably exercised this
constitutional right of giving and granting their own money; they
would have been slaves if they had not enjoyed it. At the same
time this Kingdom has ever professed the power of legislative and
commercial control. The Colonies acknowledge your authority in
all things, with the sole exception that you shall not take their
money out of their pockets without their consent. Here would I
draw the line; quam ultra citraque nequit consistere rectum."
This address was replied to by Mr. Grenville in a speech that
voiced the sentiments of that part of the people of England that
wished to tax the Colonies, and, in reply, William Pitt submitted
the following remarks:
Southwest Virginia, 171^6-1786. 175
"Sir, a charge is brought aginst gentlemen sitting in this House,
for giving birth to sedition in America. The freedom with which
the}^ have spoken their sentiments against this unhappy act is
imputed to them as a crime, but the imputation shall not dis-
courage me. It is a liberty which I hope no gentleman will be
afraid to exercise ; it is a liberty by which the gentleman who
calumniates it might have profited. . He ought to have desisted from
his project. We are told America is obstinate, America is almost
in open rebellion. Sir, / rejoice that America has resisted; three
millions of people so dead to' all the feelings of liberty as volun-
tarily to submit to be slaves, would have been fit instruments to
make slaves of all the rest ".
I maintain that Parliment has a right to bind, to restrain Amierica.
Oiir legislative power over the Colonies is sovereign and supreme.
The honorable gentlemen tells us he i;nderstands not the difference
between internal and external taxation.; but surely there is a plain
distinction between taxation levied for the purpose of raising a
revenue and duties imposed for the regulation of commierce.
'When,' said the honorable gentleman, 'were the Colonies emanci-
pated f At what time, say T, in answer, 'were they made slaves?'
I speak from accurate knowledge when I say, that the profits to
Great Britain from the trade of the Colonies, through all its
branches, is two millions per annum. This is the fund which car-
ried 5"0u triumphantly through the war; this is the price
America pays you for her protection ; and shall a miserable financier
come with a boast that he can fetch a pepper-com into the
Exchequer at the loss of millions to the nation ? I Imow the valour
of your troops, I know the skill of your officers, I know the force
of this country ; but in such a cause your success would be hazard-
ous. America, if she fell, would fall like the strong man ; she would
embrace the pillars of the state and pull down the Constitution with
her. Is this yoiir boasted peace? not to sheathe the sword in the
scabbard, but to sheathe it in the bowels of your coimtrymen?
The Americans have been wronged, they have been driven to mad-
ness by injustice. Will you punish them for the madness you have
occasioned? No; let this country be the first to resume its
prudence and temper. I will pledge myself for the Colonies, that,
on their part, animosity and resentment will cease. The system
176 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
of policy I would earnestly exhort Great Britain tO' adopt in rela-
tion to America is happily expressed in the words of a favorite
poet :
'Be to her faults a little blind,
Be to her virtues very kind ;
Let all her ways be unconfin'd,
And clap your padlock on her mind.'
Upon the whole, I will beg leave to tell the House in a few
words what is really my opinion. It is. That the Stamp Act he
repealed, ABSOLUTELY, TOTALLY and IMMEDIATELY."
On the 23d day of February, 176G, a bill was introduced in the
House of Commons having for its purpose the repeal of the Stamp
Act, which bill was carried by a vote of 275 for, to 177 against, its
repeal. The joy of the peo])le at the result of this action of the
House of Comanons was great. The opposition to the repeal of
the Stamp Act in the House of Peers was much stronger than in
the House of Commons, and it was not till the 18th day of March,
1766, that the repeal was carried, and then by a majority of only
34. On the 19th day of March, 1766, the King appeared in the
House of Commons and gave his assent, and thereby the war
between the English Colonies and the British Government was
averted for the time being.
' In Virginia, this information was received with great joy by
all classes of people, and the Virginia House of Burgesses
voted a statue to the King. The joy that followed the repeal of
the Stamp Act was of bnt short duration. The Colonies began to
realize that, by the repeal of the Stamp Act, England had virtually
surrendered nothing, as Parliament still maintained the right to
tax the Colonists, and, by the fall of the year 1766, discontent again
pervaded the Colonies. The Virginia House oi Burgesses post-
poned the consideration of the Act providing for a statue for the
King until some succeeding session. When the new Parliament
assembled in the year 1767, they received information that the
Assembly of New York had refused to pass a bill providing for
the support of his Majesty's troops which had been stationed among
the people of that Colony. Whereupon Mr. Grenville, the leader
of the Parliamentary forces favoring the taxation of the American
colonies, introduced a bill the object of which was to restrain the
Assembly and Council of New York from passing any act, until
they had complied with the requisition of the act thus mentioned,
Southwest Virginia, 171,6-1786. 177
which bill was almost immediately passed and became a law. About
the same time a body of British troops arrived in Boston, and
Governor Bernard immediately began to provide for their support
out of the public treasury. Both of the above acts produced a great
deal of discontent in the Colonies, and in the month of June, 1767,
a bill was introduced l^y Charles Townsend in the British Parlia-
ment, imposing duties on glass, painters' colours, tea and paper,
imported into the Colonies. Also, another bill authorizing the
King to appoint a Board of Trade to reside in the Colonies. Also,
a bill establishing a Board of Admiralty in the Colonies to be paid
from the colonial revenue, but to be independent of all colonial
regulations, and another bill fixing the salaries of the Governors
and other officials of the American Colonies. These several bills
passed the House of Commons with but two dissenting votes, and
received the royal assent on the 2d day of July, 1767.
It will be observed that the system of taxation proposed by Mr.
Townsend and adopted by the British Parliament was, beyond
question, a legal exercise of the right of Parliament to regulate the
commerce of the Colonies, and this right had oftentimes, thereto-
fore, been admitted by the American Colonists, but the people of
New York and of Massachusetts were greatly irritated by the
presence of the British soldiery in their respective Colonies, and
acting upon the presumption that this action of the British Parlia-
ment was nothing more than a forerunner of other oppressive meas-
ures against the Colonies, numerous petitions and remonstrances
were addressed to the King and Parliament, but failed to accom-
plish any good result. The merchants and citizens of nearly all
the Colonies assembled in their different towns and bound them-
selves not to purchase goods of any character from the British
manufacturers, while these obnoxious laws continued in force.
The Assembly of Massachusetts Colony addressed a circular letter
to the Legislatures of the other Colonies requesting their assistance
and co-operation, which letter was responded to by all the Colonies,
expressing their willingness to stand with Massachusetts by what
had been done and expressing their readiness to co-operate in what
might further be proposed for the common securitj' and welfare of
the Colonies.
Bernard, the Eoyal Governor of Massachusetts, communicated to
Lord Hillsborough, the Secretary for the Colonies, the action of ihe
178 Southwest Virginia, 174G-178G.
Massachusetts Assembly; whereupon, his lordship directed Gover-
nor Bernard to^ require the Massachusetts Legislature, (in Ms
Majest3''s name, to rescind their action, upon the penalty O'f being
dissolved, which message the Governor immediately communicated
to the Assembly, whereupon, the Assembly voted not to rescind
their action, tlie vote being 17 yeas to 19 nays, and they declared,
"if the votes of the House are to be controlled by the direction of
a minister, we have left us but a vain semblance of liberty." The
Governor, thereupon, dissolved the House according to his threat,
and the Governors of the other Colonies dissolved their respective
Assemblies upon their refusing to rescind their action endorsing
the Massachusetts resolves.
Lord Hillsborough, upon the receipt of this information, wrote
to General Gage, the British Commander at Boston, that at least
one regiment of troop would be sent to Boston to assist in preserving
peace. Upon receipt of this information, a meeting was held by
the people of Boston, and a committee appointed to wait upon
the Governor and request him to call the Assembly together.
This committee waited upon the Governor and presented their
request, which was denied. Thereupon, it was determined to hold
a general convention in the city of Boston, on the 22d of September,
and all the towns in the province of Massachusetts were requested
to send and did send delegates to this Convention.
The Convention met at Faneuil Hall, Boston, and adopted sev-
eral resolutions and adjourned. Soon thereafter, two reginients
of troops landed in Boston and, by direction of the Governor, were
quartered in the two public houses of the city, wliich gave great
umbrage to the people and produced constant difficulties between
the citizens and the soldiers.
The Colony of Massachusetts was in open rebellion against the
British Governor and the Parliament. At a meeting of the British
Parliament in the year 1769, a measure was adopted which was
intended to be a death blow to the liberties of the Colonies. This
measure directed the Governor of Massachusetts to ascertain the
nanues of all persons guilty of treason or misprisions committed
since the 30th day of December, 1767, and transmit this informa-
tion to one of the Secretaries of State, in order that his Majesty
might issue a special commission for inquiring of, hearing and
determining the said offences within the realm of Great Britain.
Southwest Virginia, 17Jf6-1786. 179
Heretofore, the offending Americans had been tried by a jury of
their own countrymen, upon all the charges that were preferred
by the royal government, and, as a general rule, acquitted, but
now the British Parliament proposed to have them arrested and
transported across the seas for trial in England. The Virginia
House of Burgesses assembled a few days after the receipt of this
information and adopted a series of resolutions, "declaring their
exclusive right to tax their constituents and to petition the Sover-
eign, either separately or conjointly with the other Colonies, and
affirming that the seizing of any person residing in the said Colony,
suspected of any crime whatsoever committed therein, and sending
such persons beyond the seas to be tried was highly derogatory
to the rights of British subjects." These resolutions were pre-
sented l)e]iind dosed doors for the purpose^of preventing the royal
Governor fi'om dissolving the Assembly before their adoption. The
example of Virginia was followed by the Assemblies of the several
Colonies.
In the fall of the year 1769, Lord Hillsborough, the British
Secretary for the Colonies, addressed a circular letter to the Gov-
ernors of all the Colonies, informing them that, at the next session
of Parliament, the duty upon glass, paper and painters' colors
would be removed.
The next session of the British Parliament convened on the 9th
day of January, 1770, and, on the 22d 'day of February, the
Marquis of Rockingham introduced the subject of the repeal of
tliese onerous duties, in the following manner. He said, "That
the present unhappy condition of affairs and the universal discon-
tent of the people did not arise from any immediate temporary
cause, biit had grown upon the nation by degrees from t]^e moment
of his Majesty's accession to the throne; that a total change had
then taken place in the old system of English, government and a
new maxim adopted fatal to the liberties of the coimtry, viz., that
the royal prerogative alone was sufficient to support government,
to whatever hands the administration should be committed." "The
operation of this principle," said his lordship, "can be ti-aced
through every act of government during the present reign, in
which his Majesty's secret advisers could be supposed to have any
influence. He recommended, therefore, strongly to their lordships
to fix an early day for taking into consideration the state of the
180 Southwest Virginia, 17 46-17 S6.
country hi all its relations and dependencies, foreign, provincial
and doniestick, for we had been injured in them all. That
consideration, he trusted, would lead their Lordships to advise the
Crown, not only how to correct past errors, but how to establish
a system of government more wise, more permanent, better suited
to the genius of the people and consistent with the spirit of the
Constitution."
Before a vote was reached upon this motion, the Duke of Grafton
resigned the office of first Lord Commissioner of the Treasury and
was succeeded l)y Lord North, who remained at the head of the
administration until the close of the American Revolution.
Among the first acts of Lord North's administration was one
for the repeal of the port duties fixed by the act of 1767, with one
exception, that being the duty on tea, "which the British Ministry
desired to remain in force, as an evidence of the supremacy of the
Parliament." It was argued by tlie friends of the repeal of the
port duties, that to retain the duty on tea would simply continue
the agitation and increase the disturbance in the Colonies without
accomplishing any good results. To such arguments, Jjord North
answered, "Has the repeal of the Stamp Act taught the Americans
obedience? Has our lenity inspired them with moderation?
Can it be proper, while they deny our legal power to
tax them, to acquiesce in tlie argument of illegality and, by the
repeal of the whole law, to give up that power ? No ! the proper
time to exert oiir right to taxation is when the right is refused.
To temporize is to yield, and the autlwrity of the mother country,
if it is now unsupported, will in reality be relinquished for ever.
"A total repeal/' he continued, "cannot he thovght of till America
is PROSTRATE AT OUR FEET."
It seems peculiar that the English ministry should have been so
short sighted as to thus insult the American Colonies, at the same
time that they were making to them great concessions with the
avowed purpose of restoring the Colonies to peace and quietude.
While the British Government lost the benefit of the import duties
by the repeal of the act of 1767, still, by the retention of the duty
on tea, the cause of the discontent in the Colonies remained. The
insult offered to the Colonists by Lord North in his speech, and the
presence of the King's troops in the province of Massachusetts and
New Yo7-k, kept up the agitation in the Colonies, producing mob-
Southwest Virginia, 17^6-1786. 181
violence at many places. In the city of Boston a difficulty occurred
between one of the King's soldiers and a citizen of the town, which
resulted in the defeat of the soldier. He obtaining the assistance
of a few of his comrades, the contest between the citizens and the
soldiers became general, and the citizens, assembling in great
numbers, compelled Governor Hutchinson to remove the soldiers
immediately from the town. Similar difficulties occurred in New
York and in Ehode Island. Thus matters continued until the
12th of March, 1773, when Dabney Carr, a member of the House
of Burgesses of Virginia, introduced the following resolutions in
the House of Burgesses; which resolutions were adopted without a
dissenting voice.
"Whereas the minds of his Majesty's faithful subjects in this
Colony have been much disturbed by various rumours and reports
of proceedings, tending to deprive them of their ancient legal and
constitutional rights ;
^And whereas the affairs of this Colony are frequently con-
nected with those of Great Britain, as well as the neighboring
Colonies, which renders a communication of sentiment necessary.
In order, therefore, to remove the uneasiness and to quiet tho
minds of the people, as well as for the other good purposes above
mentioned,
"Be it resolved, that a standing committee of correspondence
and inquiry be appointed, to consist of eleven persons, to-wit:
the honorable Peyton Eandolph, esquire, Eobept C. Nicholas,
Eichard Bland, Eichard H. Lee, Benjamin Harrison, Edmund
Pendleton, Patrick Henry, Dudley Digges, Dabney Carr, Archibald
Cary and Thomas Jefferson, esquires, any six of whom to be a
committee, whose business it shall be to obtain the most early and
authentic intelligence of all such acts and resolutions of the British
Parliament or proceedings of administration as may relate to, or
affect the British Colonies in America; and to keep up and main-
tain a correspondence and communication with our sister Colonies,
respecting these important considerations ; and the result of such
their proceedings, from time to time to lay before this House.
'Resolved, That it be an instruction to the said committee that
they do, without delay, inform themselves particularly of the
principles and authority on which was constituted a court of
enquiry, said to have been lately held in Ehode Island, with
183 Southwest Virgima, 111^6-1786.
powers to transport persons accused of offences committed in
iVmerica to places beyond the seas to be tried.
"Resolved, That the Speaker of this House do transmit to the
Speakers of the different Assemblies of the British Colonies on the
Continent, copies of the said resolutions, and desire that they will
lay them before their respective Assemblies, and request them to
appoint some person or persons of their respective bodies tO' com-
municate, from time to time, with the said committee."
The retention of the duty on tea and the action of the different
Colonies in entering into an agreement neither to buy nor to sell,
nor pay any duty upon teas imported into the Colonies, had been
so rigidly observed that the East India Company suffered great
inconvenience from the accumulation of their stock and the refusal
of the American Colonists to purchase; and, to remedy this state
of affairs, this company proposed to the British Parliament to pay
double the amount of tlie import duties on tea if the Parliament
would repeal the duties, but the object of the Parliament not being
the collection of a revenue, but the subjection of the American
Colonies, the offer of the East India Company remained unac-
cepted, and the oppression of the American Colonies continued
until it was evident that the American people had determined to be
free. After some time an act was passed by the British Parliament
allovidng the East India Company to export their teas to America
free of duty, after which, large quantities of tea were shipped by
the company to Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Charleston.
As soon as the Americans heard of the repeal of the duty on tea
and the shipments made by the East Indian Company, they deter-
mined that the tea should never be disposed of in America. When
the ships bearing this tea arrived at the American ports, they were
compelled to return immediately without unloading their cargo.
In the city of Boston a scene of great disorder prevailed. The
captain of the vessel carrying the tea made an application to the
Governor for the papers necessary to enable him to return to
England without unloading, which request the Governor positively
refused to comply with. Of this action the people were informed,
and, thereupon, a number, disguising themselves as Mohawk
Indians, boarded the ship, took out three hundred and forty-two
chests of tea and emptied their contents into the water. It was
thought that this occurrence would precipitate the war between the
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 183
Colonies and England, but such was not the case. Upon the receipt
of the news of the destruction of the tea, Lord North introduced
a bill for the closing of the port of Boston. The Constitution and
('barter of the province of Massachusetts were taken out of the
hands of the people and placed in the hands of the king, and all
the officers of the Colony were made dependent upon the king.
A bill was also passed levying a fine upon the city of Boston to
compensate the East India Company for the tea destroyed, and
another law was enacted providing that any of the king-'s officers,
charged with the commission of murder in the execution of their
duties in the Colonies, should be brought to England for trial. All
of the foregoing bills had been passed and received the royal assent
by the 20th day of May, 1774.
The consideration of these measures by the House of Commons
produced a long and heated debate, during which Colonel Barre,
who had on a previous occasion ably defended the Colonies, con-
cluded an able and patriotic speech in opposition to these measures
in these words : "Yon have changed your ground. You are becom-
ing the aggressors, and offering the last of human outrages to the
jjpople of America, by subjecting them, in effect, to military execu-
tion. Instead of sending them the olive branch, you have sent them
the naked sword. By the olive branch I mean a repeal of all the
late laivs, fruitless to you and oppressive to them. Ask their aid
in a constitutional manner, and they will give it to the utmost of
their ability. They never yet- refused it, when properly required.
Your journals bear the recorded acknowledgments of the zeal with
which they have contributed to the general necessities of the State.
What madness is it that prompts you to attempt obtaining that hy
force, which you may more certainly procure by requisition. They
may he flattered into anything, but they are too much like your-
selves to he driven. Have some indulgence for your own likeness,
respect their sturdy English virtue, retract your odious exertions
of authority, and remember that the first step towards making them
contribute to your wants is to reconcile them to your government."
At the same time William Pitt, now Lord Chatham, gave the
House of Lords his views upon the bills proposed and the condition
of American affairs, in the following words:
"If, my Lords, we take a transient view of those motives which
induced the ancestors of our fellow subjects in America to leave
184 Southwest Virginia, 17JiG-178G.
tlioir native country, to encounter the innumerable diflSculties of the
unexplored regions of the western world, our astonishment at the
present conduct of their descendants will naturally subside. There
was no corner of the globe to which they would not have fled, rather
than submit to the slavish and tyrannical spirit which prevailed
at that period in their native country ; and viewing them in their
original forlorn and now flourishing state, they may be cited as
illustrious instances to instruct the world what great exertions man-
kind will naturally make, when left to the free exercise ol their
own powers. Notwithstanding my intention to give my hearty
negative to the question now before you, I condemn, my Lords, in
the severest manner, the turbulent and unwarrantable conduct of
of the Americans, in some instances, particularly in the late riots
at Boston, but, my Lords, the mode which has been pursued to
bring them back to a sense ol their duty is so diametrically oppo-
site to every principle of sound policy, as to excite my utmost
astonishment. You have involved the guilty and the innocent in
one common punisliment, and avenge the crime of a few lawless
depredators upon the whole body of the inhabitants. My Lords,
the different provinces of America, in the excess of their gratitude
for the repeal of the Stamp Act. seemed to vie with each otlier in
the expressions of loyalty and duty; but the moment they per-
ceived that your intention to tax them was renewed, under a pre-
tense of serving the East India Company, their resentment got tlie
ascendant of their moderation and hurried them into actions which
their cool reason would abhor. But, my Lords, from the whole
complexion of the late proceedings, I cannot but incline to think,
that the administration has purposely irritated them into these
violent acts, in order to gratify their own malice and revenge.
What else could induce them to dress Taxation, the Father of
American Sedition, in the robes of an East India Director, but to
break in upon that mutual peace and harmony which then so hap-
pily subsisted between the Colonies and the mother county. My
Lords, it has always been my fixed and unalterable opinion, and I
will carry it with me to the grave, that this country had no right
under heaven to tax America. It is contrary tO' all the principles
of justice and civil policy; it is contrary to that essential, unalter-
able right in nature, ingrafted into the British Constitution as a
fundamental law, that what a man has honestly acquired is abso-
Southwest Virginia, 1740-1786. 185
lutely his own, which he may freely give, but which cannot be
taken away from him without his consent. Pass then, my Lords,
instead of these harsh and severe edicts, an amnesty over their
errours; by mea.sures of lenity and affection allure them to their
duty; act the pavt of a generous, forgiving parent. A period may
arrive, when this parent may stand in need of every assistance she
can receive from a grateful and affectionate offspring. The welfare
of this country, my Lords, has ever been my greatest joy, and,
under all the vicissitudes of my life, ha,s afforded me the most
pleasing consolation. Should the all-disposing hand of Providence
prevent me from contributing my poor and feeble aid in the day
of her distress, my prayers shall be ever for her prosperity ; "Length
of days be in her right hand, and in her left hand riches and honor !
May her ways be ways of pleasantness, and all her paths be peace !"
The Legislature of Virginia was in session when the Boston
Port Bill arrived, and their sense of it was imauediately expressed
by the following order : "This House, being deeply impressed with
apprehension of the great dangers to be derived to British America
from the hostile invasion of the city of Boston, in our sister Colony
of Massachusetts Bay, whose commerce and harbour are, on the
1st day of June next, to be stopped by an armed force, deem it
highly necessary that the said 1st day of June next be set apart l)y
the members of this House as a day of fasting, humiliation and
prayer, devoutly to implore the divine interposition for averting the
heavy calamity which threatens destruction to our civil rights and
the evils of civil war; to give us one heart and one mind, firmly to
oppose, by all just and proper means, every injury to American
rights; and that the minds of his Majesty and Parliament may be
inspired from above with wisdom, moderation and justice, to
remove from the loyal people of America all cause of danger, from
a continued pursuit of measures pregnant with their ruin.
^^Ordered, therefore. That the members of this House do attend
at their places at the hour of ten in the forenoon, on the said 1st day
of June next, in order to proceed with the Speaker and the Mace, to
the church in this city, for the purposes aforesaid ; and that the
reverend Mr. Price be appointed to read prayers and to preach a
sermon suitable to the occasion."
Lord Dunmore, the Governor of the Virginia Colony at that
time, immediately upon the receipt of the information as to the
186 Southwest Virginia, 17Jf6-1786.
action taken by the Virginia House of Burgesses, dissolved tlie
House. But the patriotic Virginians were not to be thus deprived
ol their right to speak their sentiments; for on the following day,
eighty-nine members formed an association and adopted the fol-
lowing resolutions :
"We, his Majesty's most duiifid and loyal suhjects, the late repre-
sentatives of the good people of this Colony, having been deprived,
by the sudden interposition of the executive part of this government,
from giving our countrymen the advice we wished to convey to
them in a legislative capacity, find ourselves under the hard neces-
sity of adopting this, tlie only method we have left, of pointing out
to our countrymen, such measures as, in our opinion, are best
fitted to secure our dear rights and liberty from destruction by the
heavy hand of power now lifted against JSTorth America. With
much grief we find that our dutiful applications to Great Britain
for the security of our just, ancient and constitutional rights, have
not only been disregarded, but that a determined system is formed
and pursued for reducing the inhabitants of British America to
slavery, by subjecting them to the payment of taxes imposed with-
out the consent of the people or their representatives; and that,
in pursuit of this system, we find an Act of the British Parliament,
lately passed, for stopping the harbour and the commerce of the
town of Boston, in our sister Colony of Massachusetts Bay, until
the people there submit to the payment of such unconstitutional
taxes; and which Act most violently and arbitrarily deprives them
of their property, in Avharves "erected by private persons, at their
own great and proper expense, which Act is, in our opinion, a most
dangerous attempt to destroy the constitutional liberty and rights
of all North America. It is further our opinion, that as tea, on its
importation to America, is charged with a duty imposed by Par-
liament for the purpose of raising a revenue without the consent
oi the people, it ought not to be used by any person who wishes well
to the constitutional rights and liberties of British America. And
whereas, the India Company have ungenerously attempted to ruin
America, by sending many ships loaded with tea into the Colonies,
thereby intending to fix a pi-ecedent in favour of arbitrary taxation,
we deem it highly proper, and do accordingly recommend it strongly
to our countrymen, not to purchase or use any kind of East India
commodity whatsoever, except salt-petre and spices, until the griev-
Southwest Virginia, 17J,6-1786. 187
ances of America are redressed. We are further clearly of opinion,
that an attack made upon one of onr sister Colonies, tO' compel
submission to arbitrary taxes, is an attack mad© on all British
America, and threatents ruin to the rights of all, unless the united
wisdom of the whole he applied. And for this purpose it is recom-
mended to the coanmittee of correspondence, that they communi-
cate with their several corresponding committees, on the expedi-
ency of appointing deputies from the several Colonies of British
America, to meet in General Congress, at such a place annually as
shall be thought most convenient; there to deliberate on those gen-
eral measures which the united interest of America may, from time
to timCy- require.
"A tender regard for the interest of our fellow-subjects, the
merchants and manufacturers of Great Britain, prevents us from
going further at this time ; most earnestly hoping that the un-
constitutional principle of taxing the Colonies without their con-
sent will not be persisted in, thereby to compel us against our will,
to avoid all commercial intercourse with Great Britain. Wishing
them and our people free and happy, we are their affectionate
friends, the late representatives of Virginia."
This association was formed on the 27th day of May, 1774, and
Stephen Trigg and William Christian, the representatives O'f Fin-
castle county, in the Virginia House of Burgesses, were members
of this association.
Virginia had not suffered from the acts of the British. Parlia-
ment as had the colonies of New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode
Island, but her statesmen of those days were actuated by princi-
ples that they loved and cherished, and, with a political wisdom
which should be the admiration of all the citizens of Virginia,
they were always ready and willing to resist any encroachment
upon those principles, whether the encroachments were made in
their own home or in the sister colonies.
The 1st day of June, 1774, was observed in most of the colo-
nies as a day of fasting and prayer, and in Virginia all business
was suspended, and the citizens bore a dejected aspect, but were
contemplating a brighter day, when their sorrow would be turned
to joy.
On the 17th day of June, 1774, the Legislature of the Massa-
chusetts Colony adopted a resolution calling a Congress of the rep-
188 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
resentatives of the colonies at Philadelphia on the 5th day of
September, 1774. The royal Governor of Massachusetts imme-
diately dissolved the Legislature as a punishment.
In Virginia the representatives of the several counties met at
Williamsburg on August 1, 1774, and adopted the following reso-
lutions, which fitly expressed the sentiments of the people of Vir-
ginia :
"The unhappy disputes between Great Britain and her Ameri-
can colonies, which began about the third year of the reign of his
present Majesty and since continually increasing, have proceeded
to lengths so dangerous and alarming as to excite just apprehen-
sions in the minds of his Majesty's faithful subjects of the Colony
that they are in danger of being deprived of their natural, an-
cient constitutional and chartered rights, and have cjompelled
them to take the same into their most serious consideration; and
being deprived of their usual and accustomed mode of making
known their grievances, have appointed us, their represen-
tatives, to consider what is proper to be done in this dangerous
crisis of American affairs. It being our opinion, that the united
wisdom of North America should be collected in a general Con-
gress of all the Colonies, we have appointed the following gen-
tlemen as deputies to represent this Colony in the said Congress,
to be held at Philadelphia, on the first Monday in September
next, viz., Peyton Eandolph, Eichard Henry Lee, George Wash-
ington, Patrick Henry, Eichard Bland, Benjamin Harrison and
Edmund Pendleton. — and that they may be the better informed
of our sentiments touching the conduct we wish them to observe
on this important occasion, we desire that they Avill express, in the
first place, our faith and our allegiance to his Majesty King George
the third, our lawful and rightful sovereign; and that we are de-
termined, with our lives and fortunes, to support him in the le-
gal exercise of all his just rights and prerogatives. And, however,
misrepresented, we sincerely approve of a constitutional connexion
with Great Britain, and wish most ardently a return of that inter-
course O'f affection and commercial connexion that formerly united
both countries; which can only be effected by a removal of those
causes of discontent which have of late unhappily divided us.
"It cannot admit of a doubt that British subjects in America
are entitled to the same rights and privileges as their fellow sub-
Southwest Virginia, 17Jf6-1786. 189
jects possess in Britain, and therefore tliat the power as-
sumed by the British Parliament to bind America by their statutes,
in all cases whatsoever, is unconstitutional and the source of these
unhappy differences.
"The end of government would be defeated by the British Par-
liament exercising a power over the lives, the property and the
liberty of American subjects, who are not and, from their local
circumstances, cannot be, there represented. Of this nature we
consider the several Acts of Parliament for raising a revenue in
America, for extending the jurisdiction of the courts of Admiralty,
for seizing American subjects and transporting them to Britain
to be tried for crimes committed in America, and the several late
oppressive Acts respecting the town of Boston and Province of
Massachusetts Bay.
"The original constitution of the American Colonies possessing
their assemblies with the sole right of directing their internal
policy, it is absolutely destructive to the end of their institution
that their legislatures should be suspended, or prevented by hasty
dissolutions, from exercising their legislative powers.
"Wanting the protection of Britain, we have long acquiesced in
their Acts of navigation, restrictive of our commerce, which we
consider as an ample recompense for such protection, but as those
Acts derive their efficacy from that foundation alone, we have
reason to expect they will be restrained, so as to produce the rea-
sonable purposes of Britain and not be injurious to us.
"To obtain redress of these grievances, without which the peo-
ple of America can neither be safe, free, nor happy, they are will-
ing to undergo the great inconvenience that will be derived to them
from stopping all imports whatsoever from Great Britain after
the first day of November next, and also to cease exporting
any commodity whatsoever to the same place, after the 10th day
of August, 1775. The earnest desire we have to make as quick and
full payment as possible of our debts to Great Britain, and to avoid
the heavy injury that would arise tO' this country from an earlier
adoption of the non-importation plan, after the people have al-
ready applied so much of their labor to the perfecting of the pres-
ent crop, by which means they have been prevented from pursuing
other methods of clothing and supporting their families, has ren-
dered it necessary to restrain you in this article of non-exporta-
190 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
tion ; but it is our desire that you cordially co-operate with our
sister Colonies in general Congress, in such other just and proper
methods, as they, or the majority, shall deem necessary for the
accomplishment of these valuable ends. *■
"The proclamation issued by General Gage, in tlie government of
the Province of Massachusetts Bay, declaring it treason for the
inhabitants of that Province to assemble themselves to consider O'f
their grievances and to form associations for their common conduct
on the occasion, and requiring the civil magistrates and officers to
apprehend all such persons to be tried for their supposed offences,
is the most alarming process that ever appeared in a British Gov-
ernment; the said General Gage has thereby assumed and taken
upon himself powers denied by the constitution to our legal Sover-
eign. He not having condescended to disclose by what authority
he exercises such extensive and unlieard of powers, we are at a
loss to determine whether he intends to justify himself as the rep-
representative of the King, or as the Commander in Chief of his
Majesty's forces in America. If he considers himself as acting
in the character of his Majesty's representative, we would remind
him that the statute 20th, Edward III., has expressed and defined
all treasonable O'ffences, and that the Legislature of Great Britain
hath declared that no offence shall be construed to be treason but
such as is pointed out by that statute; and that this was done to
taike out of the hands of tyrannical Kings, and of weak and wicked
Ministers, that deadly weapon which constructive treason had
furnished them with, and which had drawn the blood of the best
and honestest men in the kingdom, and that the King of Great
Britain hath no right by his proclamation to subject his people to
imprisonment, pains, and penalties.
"Tliat if the said General Gage conceives he is empowered to
act in this manner, as the Commander in Chief of his Majesty's
forces in America, this odioais and illegal proclamation must be
considered as a plain and full declaration that this despotick Vice-
roy will be bound by no law, nor regard the constitutional rights
of his Majesty's subjects, wherever they interfere with the plans
he has formed for oppressing the good people of the Massachusetts
Bay; and therefore that the executing, or attempting to execute
such proclamation, will justify resistance and reprisal."
All of the American colonies, with the exception of Georgia,
Southwest Virginia, 17Jf6-1786. 191
joined iu the common cause and sent delegates to the Philadel-
phia Congress.
The second Continental Congress of the American colonies as-
sembled in Philadelphia on September 5, 1774, fifty-two dele-
gates from twelve colonies present. This Congress was organized
by the election of the following officers :
President, Peyton Eandolph, of Virginia.
Secretary, Charles Thompson, of Pennsylvania.
Patrick Henry, of Virginia, was the first member of this Con-
gress to address the chair upon the issues which had brought them
together. This Congress of able men and noble patriots occupied
more than a month's time in serious deliberation before anything
of importance was done. On the 8th of October, 1774 (two days
before the battle at Point Pleasant) they adopted the following
resolutions :
"Resolved, That this Congress do approve of the opposition
MADE BY THE inhabitants of the Massachusetts Bay to the exe-
cution of the late Acts of Parliament; and if the same shall be at-
tempted to be carried into execution by force, in such case all
America ought to support them in their opposition.
"Resolved, That it is the opinion of this body, that the removal
of the people of Boston into the country would be not only ex-
tremely difficult in the execution, but so important in its conse-
quences as to require the utmost deliberation before it is adopted.
But in case the provincial meeting of that Colony shall judge it
absolutely necessary, it is the opinion of this Congress, that all
America ought to contribute towards recompensing them for the
injury they may thereby sustain, and it will be recommended ac-
cordingly.
"Resolved, That this Congress do recommend to the inhabitants
of the Colony of Massachusetts Bay to submit to a suspension of
the administration of justice, when it cannot be procured in a le-
gal and peaceable manner, under the rules of the Charter and the
laws founded thereon, until the effects of onr application for a re-
peal of the Acts, by which their Charter rights are infringed, are
known.
"Resolved, unanimously. That every person or persons whoso-
ever, who shall take, accept, or act under any commission or au-
thority in any wise derived from the Act passed in the late ses-
192 Southwest Virginia, 17Jf6-1786.
sion of Parliament, changing the form of Government and vio-
lating the charter of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, ought to
be held in detestation and abhorrence by all good men and con-
sidered as the wicked tools of that despotism which is preparing to
destroy tliose rights which God, nature and compact have given
to America."
On the 14th, Congress agreed upon the following preamble and
resolutions :
"Whereas, since the close . of the last war, the British Parlia-
ment, claiming a power of right to bind the people of America by
statute, in all cases whatsoever, hath in some Acts expressly im-
posed taxes on them, and on other various pretences, but in fact for
the purpose of raising a revenue, hath imposed rates and duties
payable in these Colonies, established a board of commissioners
with unconstitutional powers and extended the jurisdiction of
Courts of Admiralty, not only for collecting the said duties, but
for the trial of causes merely arising within the body of a county.
And whereas, in consequence of other statutes, judges, who before
held only estates at will in their offices, have been made dependent
on the CroAvn alone for their salaries, and standing armies kept in
time of peace. And it has lately been resolved in Parliament, that
by force of a statute made in the 35th Henry VIII, colonists may
be transported to England and tried there upon accusations for
treasons and misprisions, or concealment of treasons, committed in
the Colonies; and, by a late statute, such trials have been directed
in cases therein mentioned.
"And whereas, in the late session of Parliament, three statutes
were made, one entitled 'an Act to discontinue in siich manner
and for such time as are therein mentioned, the landing and dis-
charging, lading or shipping of goods, wares and merchandise, at
the town and within the harbour of Boston, in the Province of
Massachusetts Bay, in North America,' another entitled 'an Act
for the better regulating the government of the Province of Massa-
chiisetts Bay, in New England,' and another entitled 'an Act for
the impartial administration of justice, in the cases of persons
questioned for any act done by them in the execution of the law,
or for the suppression of riots and tumults, in the Province of
Massachusetts Bay, in New England,' and another statute was
then made 'for making more effectual provision for the govern-
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 193
ment of the Province of Quebec, &c./ all of which statutes are
impolitick, unjust and cruel as well as unconstitutional, and miost
dangerous and destructive of American rights.
"And whereas, Assemblies have been frequently dissolved, con-
trary to the rights of the people, when they attempted to deliberate
on grievances, and their dutiful, humble, loyal, and reasonable pe-
titions to tlie cro'wn for redress have been repeatedly treated with
contempt by his Majesty's Ministers of State.
"The good people of the several colonies of New Hampshire,
Massachusetts Bay, Ehode Island and Providence Plantations,
Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New Castle,
Kent and Sussex on Delaware, Maryland and Virginia, North
Carolina and South Carolina, justly alarmed at these arbitrary
proceedings of Parliament and the Administration, have severally
elected, constituted and ajjpointed deputies, to meet and sit in
general Congress in the City of Philadelphia, in order to obtain
such establishment as tliat their religion, laws and liberties may
not be subverted : Whereupon, the deputies so appointed being now
assembled in a full and free representation of these Colonies, tak-
ing into their most serious consideration the best means of attain-
ing the ends aforesaid, do in the first place, as Englishmen, their
ancestors, in like cases have usually done, for asserting and vindi-
cating their rights and liberties, DECLARE ;
"That the inhabitants of the English Colonies in North America,
by the immutable laws of nature, the principles of the English
Constitution and the several charters of compacts, have the follow-
ing RIGHTS.
"Resolved, nemine contradicenie, 1st. That they are entitled to
life, liberty and property; and they have never ceded to any
foreign power whatever, a right to dispose of either without their
consent.
"Resolved, 71. c. 3nd. That our ancestors, who first settled these
Colonies, were at the time of their emigration from the mother
country, entitled to all the rights, liberties and immunities of free
and natural born subjects within the realms of England.
"Resolved, n. c. 3rd. That by such emigration they by no means
forfeited, surrendered, or lost any of those rights, but that they
.were, and their descendants now are, entitled to tlie exercise and
194 Southwest Virginia, 17Jf6-1786.
enjoyment of all sncli of them, as their local and other circum-
stances enable them to exercise and enjoy.
"Resolved, n. c. 4. That the foundation of English liberty and
all free government is a right in the people to participate in their
legislative coimcil ; and as the ' English Colonists are not repre-
sented, and from their local and other circumstances cannot pro-
]ierly be represented in the British Parliament, they are entitled
to a free and exclusive power of legislation in their several Pro-
vincial Ijegislatures, where their right of representation alone can
be pr(>served, in all cases of taxation and internal policy, subject
only to the negative of their Sovereign, in such manner as has
heretofore been accustomed ; but from the necessity of the case
and a regard to the mutual interests of both countries, we cheer-
fully consent to the operation of such acts of the British Parlia-
ment as are bona fide, restrained to the regulation of our external
commerce, for the purpose of securing the commercial advantages
of the whole empire to the mother country, and the commercial
])enefits of its respective members, excluding every idea of taxation,
internal or external, for raising a revenue on the subjects in
America, without their consent.
"Eesolved, n. c. 5. That the respective Colonies are entitled to
the common law of England, and more especially to the great and
inestimable privilege of being tried by their peers of the vicinage
according to the course ol that law.
"Resolved, n. c. 6. That they are entitled to the benefit of such
of the English statutes as existed at the time of their colonization,
and which they have, by experience, respectively found to be appli-
cable to their several local and other circumstances.
"Resolved, n. r. 7. That these, his Majesty's Colonies, are like-
wise entitled to all tlie immunities and privileges granted and con-
firmed to them by royal charters, or secured by their several codes
of Provincial laws.
"Resolved, 7i. c. 8. That they have a right peacably to assemble,
consider of their grievances, and petition the King; and that all
prosecutions, prohibitory proclamations, and commitments for the
same are illegal.
"Resolved, n. c. 9. That the keeping a standing army in any
of these Colonies in times of peace, without the consent of the
Southwest Virginia, 17JfG-17S0. 195
Tjegislaturo of that Colony in which snch army is kept, is against
tlie law.
"Eesolved, n. c. 10. It is indispensahly necessary to good gov-
ernment, and rendered essential l)y the English constitution, that
the constituent branches of the Tjegislature be independent of each
other; that, therefore, the exercise of legislative power in several
Colonies by a Council a})pointed, during pleasure, by the Crown
is unconstitutional, dangerous and destructive of the freedom of
American legislation.
All and each of which the aforesaid deputies in behalf of them-
selves and their constituents do claim, demand, and insist upon,
as their indubitable rights and liberties; which cannot be legally
taken from them, altered or abridged by any power whatsoever,
without their own consent, by their representatives in their several
Provincial Legislatures."
And upon the 30th day of October, ITT-i, they agreed upon the fol-
lowing articles of association, to which each member present sub-
scribed his name.
"First, That from and after the first day of December next,
we will not import into British America from Great Britain and
Ireland, any goods, wares, or merchandize whatsoever, or from any
other place, any such goods, wares or marchandise, as shall have
been exported from Great Britain or Ireland, nor will we, after that
day import any East India tea from any part of the world; nor any
molasses, syrups, paneles, coffee or pimento, from the British
plantations, or from Dominica ; nor wines from Madeira, or the
Western Islands ; nor foreign indigo.
"Second, That we will neither import, nor purchase any slave
imported after the first day of Deceml)er next; after which time
we will wholly discontinue the slave trade, and will neither be con-
cerned in it ourselves nor will we hire our vessels, nor sell our com-
modities or manufactures to those who are concerned in it.
"Third, As a non-consum])tion agreement strictly adhered to
will 1)0 an effectual security for the observation of non-importa-
tion, we, as above, solemnly agree and associate, that, from this
day, we will not purchase or use any tea imported on account of
the East India Company, or any on which a duty hath been or
sliall he paid, and from and after the first day of March next, we
will not purchase or use any East India tea whatever, nor will we.
19G Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
nor shall any person for or imdor us, purchase or use, any of those
goods, wares or merchandize we have agreed not to import, which
we shall know or have cause to suspect, were imported after the
first day of December, except such as come under the rules and
directions of the tenth article hereinafter mentioned.
"Fourth, The earnest desire we have not to injure our fellow-
subjects in Great Britain, Ireland or the West Indies, induces us
to suspend non-exportation, until the tenth day of September
1775, at which time, if the said Acts and parts of Acts of the
British Parliament, hereinafter mentioned, are not repealed, we
will not, directly or indirectly, export any merchandize or com-
modity whatsoever, to Great Britain, Ireland or the West Indies,
except via Europe.
"Fifth, Such as are merchants and use the British and Irish
trade, will give orders, as soon as possible, to their factors, agents
and correspondents in Great Britain and Ireland, not to ship any
goods to them, on any pretence whatever, as they cannot be received
in America; and if any merchant residing in Great Britain or
Ireland shall, directly or indirectly, ship any goods, wares or mer-
chandize, for America, in order to break the said non-importation
agreement, or in any manner contravene the same, on such
unworthy conduct being well attested, it ought to be made publick ;
a7id on the same being so done, we will not from thenceforth have
any commercial connexion with such merchant.
"Sixth, That such as are owners of vessels will give positive
orders to their captains, or masters, not to receive on board their
vessels any goods prohibited by the said non-importation agree-
ment, on pain of immediate dismission from their service.
"Seventh, We will use our utmost endeavors to improve the
breed of sheep and increase their number to the greatest extent;
and to that end we will kill them as sparingly as may be, especially
those of the most profitable kind; nor will we export any to the
West Indies or elsewhere ; and those of us who are or may become
overstocked with, or can conveniently spare any sheep, will dispose
of them to our neighbors, especially to the poorer sort, on moderate
terms.
"Eighth, That we will in our several stations encourage fru-
gality, economy and industry, and promote agriculture, arts and
the manufactures of this country, especially that of wool, and will
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 197
discountenance and discourage every species of extravagance and
dissipation, especially all horse-racing, and all kinds of gaming,
cock-fighting, exhibitions of shows, plays and other expensive diver-
sions and entertainments. iVnd on the death of any relation oi
friend, none of us, or any of our families, will go into any
further mourning dress than a black crape or ribbon on the arm
or hat for the gentleman, and a black ribbon or necklace for the
ladies, and we will discontinue the giving of gloves and scarfs at
funerals.
"Ninth, That such as are vendors of goods or merchandize will
not take advantage of the scarcity of goods that may be occasioned
by this association, but will sell the same at the rates we have
been respectively accustomed to do, for twelve months last past.
And if any vendor of goods or merchandize shall sell such goods
on higher terms, or shall in any manner, or by any device what-
soever, violate or depart from this agreement, no person ought, nor
will any of us deal with any such person, or his, or her factor or
agent at any time thereafter for any commodity whatever.
"Tenth, In case any merchant, trader, or other persons shall
import any goods or merchandize, after the first day of December,
and before the first day of February next, the same ought, forth-
with, at the election of the owner, to be either reshipped or deliv-
ered up to the committee of the county or town wherein they shall
be imported, to be stored at the risk of the importer, until the non-
importation agreement shall cease, or be sold under direction of
the committee aforesaid ; and in the last mentioned case, the owner
or owners of such goods shall be reimbursed out of the sales the
first cost and charges, the profit, if any, to be applied towards the
relieving and employing such poor inhabitants of the town of
Boston as are immediately sufferers by the Boston Port Bill; and
a particular account of all goods so returned, stored, or sold, to be
inserted in the publick papers; and if any goods or merchandizes
shall be imported after the said fi.rst day of February, the same ought
forthwith, to be sent back again, without breaking any of the
packages thereof.
"Eleventh, That a committee be chosen in every county, city,
and town, by those who are qualified to vote for representatives in
Legislature, whose business it shall be, attentively to observe the
conduct of all persons touching the association; and when it shall
198 Southtvest Virginia. 17J,(]-17S(i.
1)1* made to aj)})C'ai" to the satisfaction of a majority of such com-
mittee, that any person within the limits of their appointment
has violated this association, tliat such majority do fortlnvitli cause
tl)e truth of the case to he ])uhlishe(! in the (iazette, to the end that
all such t'ocs to the rights of British Auiei'ica may he ])ul)licklv
known and universally contemned as the enemies of Amei-ican
liherty; and thenceforth we will res])ectively hreak olf all dealings
with him or her.
"Twelfth, That the Committee of Correspondenci' in the i'esj)ec-
tive Colonies do frequently inspect the entries of their custom
houses, and inform each other from time to time, of the true state
thereof, and of every other material circumstance that may occur
relative to this association.
"Thirteenth, That all manufactures of this country he sold at
reasonable prices, so that no undue advantages W taken of a future
scarcity of goods.
"Fourteenth, And we do' further agree and resolve, that we will
have no trade, commerce, dealings or intercourse whateM'i- with
any Colony or Province in North America, which shall not accede
to, or which shall hereafter violate this association, hut will hold
them as unworthy of the rights of freemen and as inimical to the
liberties of their country.
"And we do solemnly bind ourselves and our constituents, under
the ties aforesaid, to adhere to this association until such parts
of the several Acts of Parliament passed since the close of the last
war as imposed or continue diities on tea, wine, molasses, syrups,
paneles, coffee, sugar, pimento, indigo, foreign ]")aper. glass and
painters' colors imported into America, and extend the powers
of the Admiraltv courts beyond their ancient limits, deprive the
American subjects of trial by jury, authorize the judge's C(>rtificate
to indemnify the prosecutor fi-om damages, that he might other-
wise be liable to, from a trial by his peers, require oppressive secu-
rity from a claimant of ships or goods seized before he shall be
allowed to defend his property, are repealed. And until that part
of the Act of the 13 Geo. 3, ch. 24. entitled 'an Act for the better
securing his Majesty's dock-yards, magazines, ships, ammunition
and stores,' by which any persons charged with committing any
of tlie offences therein described, in America, may be tried in any
shire or county within the realm, is repealed — and until the four
Southwest Virginia, 171,6-1786. 199
Acts 2:)assed in the last, session of Parliament, viz., that for stopping
tlie i)ort and blocking np the harbonr of Boston — that for alter-
ing the Charter and Government of the Massachnsetts Bay — and
that which is entitled, ''An Act for the better administration of
justice, &c." — and that for "extending the limits of Quebec, &c.,"
ai'e rejx^aled. And we recommend it to the Provincial Conven-
tions, and to the committee in tlie respective Colonies, to establish
such furtlier regulations as they may think proper, for carrying into
execution this association."
After the adoption of the foregoing resolutions and articles of
association, the Congress drew up a petition to the king, a memo-
rial tO' tlie people of England and an address to the people of the
C^olonies, and another to the French Colonists of Quebec, Georgia
and Nova Scotia. Tliis Congress adjourned on the 26th day of
October, 1774, after having decided to hold another Congress at the
same place on the lOth day of May, 1775, if their present grievances
continued. The proceedings of this Congress have enlisted the
admiration of the world for more than one hundred and twenty-
five years, and the work of the fifty-two men composing this Con-
gress will live while a Eepul)lican form of Government and free
institutions exist.
After the adjournment of this Congress, the Colonies were in
that condition which precedes the coming of a storm,. The people
were willing to foi-give and forget, provided their petitions were
listened to and their wrongs corrected ; otherwise they were ready
to give their lives and property in defence of their liberty.
It was now time for the English statesmen to recognize, in the
resistance of the Colonies, that spirit of freedom which has ever
marked the actions of the Anglo-Saxon race.
At a meeting of the British Parliament on the 30th day of
January, 1775, Lord Dartmouth, Secretary of State for the Colo-
nies, laid before the House of Peers all the papers relative to the
American Colonies. As soon as all papers were read, William Pitt,
the undying friend ot the American Colonies, arose and moved that
an address be presented to the King, requesting him to direct Gen-
eral Gage to move his Majesty's forces from the town of Boston.
He said : "America could not be reconciled, she ought not to be
reconciled to this country, till the troops of Britain are removed
from the Continent. Besistance to your acts was necessary, and
200 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
therefore ju^t; and your vain declarations of the omnipotence of
Parliament, and your imperious doctrines of the necessity of sub-
mission, will be equally impotent to convince or enslave America.
You may, no doubt, destroy their cities, you may cut them off
from the superfluities, perhaps the conveniences, of life; but
my Lords, they will still despise your power, for they have yet
I'emaining their woods and their liberty. He said that the spirit
which now animates America was the same that led to the revolu-
tion in England, and that the friends of liberty on both sides of
the Atlantic had but one common cause. "In this great cause,"
he continued, "they are immovably allied; it is the alliance of
God and Nature, immutable, eternal, fixed as the firmament of
heaven." His Lordship admitted the right of Parliament to con-
trol the complicated machinery of commerce and navigation, but
denied its authority over the property of the people of the Colonies ;
"property is private, individual, absolute, the touch of another
annihilates it." He besought the House to rest upon that distinc-
tion, to allow the Americans to maintain their principles of taxa-
tion, and to confine the exercise of parliamentary authority to the
regulation of commerce. Of the Continental Congress the noble
Earl spoke in a strain of the highest eulogy. "History, my Lords,"
said he, "has been my favorite study, and in the celebrated writings
of antiquity have I often admired the patriotism of Greece and
Eome ; but, my Lords, I must declare and avow, that in the master-
states of the world, I know not the people or the Senate, who in
such a complication of difficult circumstances can stand in prefer-
ence to the Delegates of America, assembled in General Congress
at Philadelphia. I trust it is obvious to your Lordships, that all
attempts to impose servitude upon such men, to establish despotism
over such a mighty continental nation, must he vain, must he futile."
The speaker went on to say, that ministerial manoeuvres
would never be able to resist such a union as that of America, that
the hour of danger was not to be averted by the tricks of office, that
matters bad now gone so far that even re])ealing the obnoxious
Acts would not restore the lost confidence of America, unless
his Majesty's armed force was withdrawn from the Continent.
The jSToble Lord pledged himself, that they would one day find
themselves compelled to undo alL their oppressive acts. He advised
them, therefore, to enter at once into that course, of their own
Southwest Virginia, nJt6-1786. ' 201
accord, which they must be ultimately forced to adopt. "To con-
clude, my Ivords," said lie, "if the Ministers thus persevere in mis-
advising and misleading the King, I will not say that they can
alienate the affections of his subjects from the Crown; but, 1
affiriv, they will make the Crown not worth his wearing, I will
not say that the King is betrayed, but I will prononnce that the
Kingdom is undone."
The motion of Lord Chatham was rejected by a large majority,
and the British Ministry declared their purpose never to abandon
a single right until the American Colonies were whipped into
obedience. The same day that William Pitt delivered the pre-
ceding address in the House of Lords, the backwoodsmen of Fin-
castle county met, pursuant to the resolves of the Continental Con-
gress, at the Lead Mines, their county seat, and took action in the
premises ; of which the following is a correct account :
"In obedience to the resolves of the Continental Congress, a
meeting of the Freeholders of Fincastlc County, in Virginia, was
held on the 20th day of January, 1775, who, after approving of the
Association framed by that august liody in behalf of all the Colo-
nies, and subscribing thereto, proceeded to the election of a Com-
mittee, to see the same carried punctually into execution, when the
following gentlemen were nominated : the Eeverend Charles Curn-
mings. Colonel William Preston, Colonel William Christian, Cap-
tain Stephen Trigg, Major Arthur Campbell, Major William Inglis,
Captain Walter Crockett, Captain John Montgomery, Captain
James McGavocl-, Captain William Campbell, Captain Thomas
Madison, Captain Daniel Sviith, Captain William Russell, Captain
Evan Shelby and Lieutenant William Edmondson.. After the elec-
tion the committee made choice of Colonel William Christian
for their chairman, and appointed Mr. David Campbell to be clerk."
The following address was then unanimously agreed to by the
people of the county, and is as follows :
To the Honorable PEYTO^t RANDOLPH, Esquire, RICH-
AED HENRY LEE, GEORGE WASHINGTON, PATRICK
HENRY, Junior. RICHARD BLAND, BENJAMIN HARRI-
SON, and EDMUND PENDLETON, Esquires, the Delegates
from this Colony, who attended the Continental Congress held at
PHILADELPHIA :
Gentlemen,— Had it not been for our remote situation and
202 ^^oufhircsi Virginia, 17J,()-17S6.
the ludian M'nr wliieli we were bitoly engaged in to chastise those
cruel and savage people for the many nuirders and depredations
they have committed amongst us, now happily terminated under
the auspices of our present worthy Governor, His Excellency the
Right Honorable the Earl of Durwiore, we should before this time
have made know^n to you our thankfulness for the very important
services you have rendered to yowx country, in conjunction with
(he worthy Delegates from tlie other Provinces. Your noble efforts
for reconciling the motlier country and the Colonies, on rational
and constitutional principles and yonr pacifick, steady and uniform
conduct in that arduous work entitle you to the esteem of all
British America, and will immortalize you in the annals of your
country. We heartily concur in your resolutions, and shall, in
every instance, strictly and invariably adhere tliereto.
We assure you, gentlemen, and all our countrymen, that we are
a people whose hearts overflow witli love and duty to our lawful
Sovereign, George the Third, whose illustrious House for several
successive reigns have been the guardians of the civil and religious
rights and liberties of British subjects, as settled at the glorious
Eevolution; that we are willing to risk our lives in the service of his
Majesty for the support of the Protestant religion and the rights and
liberties of his subjects, as they have been estal:)lished by compact,
law and ancient chartei's. We are heartily grieved at the dif-
ferences which now subsist between the parent state and the Colo-
nies, and most ardently wish to see harmony restored on an equi-
table basis and by the most lenient measures that can be devised
by the heart of man. Many of us and our forefathers left our
native land, considering it as a kingdom subjected to inordinate
power and greatly abridged of its liberties; we crossed the Atlantic,
and ex])lored this then uncultivated wilderness Iwrdering on many
nations of savages and surrounded by mountains almost inacces-
sible to any but those very savages, who have incessantly been com-
mitting l)arbarities and depredations on us since our first seating
the country. These fatigues and dangers we patiently encoun-
tered, supported by the pleasing hope of enjoying those rights and
liberties which had been granted to Virginians, and were denied
us in our native country, and of transmitting them inviolate to
our posterity; but even to these remote regions the hand of unlim-
ited and unconstitutional power hath pursued us, to strip us of
Southwest Virginia, 17Jf6-17S6. 203
that liberty and property with which God, nature and the rights
of himianity liave vested lis. We are ready and willing to coutri-
biite all in our power for the support of his Majesty's government,
if applied to constitutionally, and when the grants are made by our
own Eepresentatives, but cannot think of submitting our liljerty
or property to the power of a venal British Parliament, or to the
will of a corrupt jVIinisti'y. We by no means desire to^ shake off our
duty or allegiance to our lawful sovereign, but, on the contrary,
shall ever glory in being the loyal subjects of a Protestant prince,
descended from such illustrious progenitors, so- long as we can
enjoy the free exercise of our religion as Protestants, and our
liberties and properties as British Subjects.
But if no pacifick measures shall be proposed or ado])ted Ijy Great
Britain, and our enemies will attempt tO' dragoon us out of those
inestimable privileges, which we are entitled to as subjects, and
to redTice us to a state of slavery, we declare that we are deliberately
and resolutely determined never to surrender them to any power
upon earth but at the expense of our lives.
These are our real, though unpolished, sentiments of lil)erty and
loyalty, and in them we are resolved to live and die.
We are, gentlemen, with the most perfect esteem and regard,
your most obedient servants.
The meeting of the freehjDlders of Fincastle county, on the 20th
of Janiiary, 1775, in answer to the resolves of the Continental Con-
gress was not the first meeting held for this purpose in the Colony,
Init it was, as far as we have any record, the first meeting in which
the freeholders declared that they were deliberately and resolutely
determined never to surrender their inestimable privileges to any
power upon earth but at the expense of their lives. The senti-
ments of this meeting were definitely stated by the Committee of
Safety when they declared that the freeholders of Fincastle county
did not desire to shake off their allegiance to their lawful sovereign
as long as they could enjoy the free exercise of their religion as
Protestants and their liberties and properties as British subjects.
The Committee of Safety, appointed by the freeholders of Fin-
castle county, was composed of fifteen men, any one of whom, by
reason of his intelligence and patriotism, was competent to draft
the address be'fore given,
'.^he meml)ers of that committee living at that time on lands
204 Southwest Virginia,, 1746-1786.
afterwards Avithin tlie limit? of the county of Washington, were
;-even in niiinber, as follows:
IJeverend Charles Ciimmings, Major Arthur Campbell,
Captain William Campbell, Captain Daniel Smith,
Captain William I'ussell, Captain Evan Shelby,
Lieutenant William Edmiston. i
Early in the year 1775, the British Parliament passed a bill
restraining the trade of Virginia and that of a number of the other
colonies.
Several efforts were made by members of this Parliament to
have measures adopted that would have a tendency to bring the
Colonies and Great Britain together, but all to no purpose. In
the Virginia House of Burgesses, Patrick Henry introduced a num-
ber of resohitions for arming and disciplining the militia of the
(*olonies, and the delegates to the former Congress held in Phil-
adelphia were re-elected, along witli Thomas Jefferson, to^ serve
in the next Congress which met at Philadelphia in May, 1775.
In the month of April, hostilities began between General Gage,
commanding the British forces at Boston, and the troops of the
Massachusetts Colony, and the first blood of the Eevolution was
shed at Lexington, Massachusetts, on the 17th day of April, 1775.
In a few days this news spread, and the entire Colony was in arms.
The first blow had been struck by the King's troops, and now the
Colonies took up their arms in self-defence.
In Virginia, Governor Dunmore, upon a plea that an insurrec-
tion existed in a neighboring count)% removed the powder stored in
the public magazine at Williamsburg, and placed it on board of a
ship by a small body of marines, on the 9th of April, 1775. This
action of the Governor provoked a great deal of discontent, and,
in answer to a request from the officials of the city of Williamsburg,
he promised to restore the powder whenever wanted, but declined
to do so at that time, for the reason that he had heard that the
people were armed, and that he did not think it prudent to put.
powder in their hands.
This promise of the Governor did not satisfy the people, and,
arming themselves, they began to assemble and march through, the
streets of Williamsburg, whereupon, Governor Dunmore sent them
a message in which he stated that if they interfered with any of
the King's officers he would declare freedom to their slaves and
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 205
lav Williamsburg in ashes. This information being communicated
to the sm-i-oimding country and the news from Massachusetts hav-
ing reached Virginia, the people flew to arms in all directions.
Patrick Henry placed no confidence in the promise of the Governor
and resolved upon making an effort to recover the powder.
He organized a company in his own county, and, with this com-
pany, began his march to Williamsburg. Patrick Henry was very
popular with the people of the Colony and upon their hearing of his
determination, fully five thousand men tendered him their services.
The Governor was greatly alarmed by this occurrence and fled from
the capitol and boarded a man-of-war. Apprehending the conse-
(luences of this act of Patrick Henrv's, he directed the Eeceiver-
General of the Colony to meet Mr. Henry and pay him in full for
the powdei" that had been carried off, which he did. Thereupon,
Henry and his followers dispersed to their homes. Two days after
this occurrence, the Governor proclaimed Patrick Henry an out-
law. Upon the ir)th day of July, 1775, the Committee of Safety
for Fincastle county assembled at the Lead Mines, ^d adopted the
following resolutions in approbation of the course pursued by Pat-
lick Henry. S i ' I
At a committee held for Fincastle County, July 15th, 1775,
William Christian, chairman. The committee, taking into their
consideratioB the clandestine removal of the gunpowder from the
magazine o^this Colony by order of our Governor, are clearly and
unanimously of opinion that his Lordship's conduct reflects much
dishonor on himself, and he very justly deserves the censure so
universally bestowed upon him.
Eesolved, That the spirited and meritorious conduct O'f Pat-
rick Henry, Esq., and the rest of the gentlemen volunteers at-
tending him on the occasion of the removal of the gunpowder
out of the magazine in Williamsburg, very justly merits the very
hearty approbation of this committee, for which we return them
our thanks, with an assurance that we will, at the risk of our own
lives and fortunes, support and justify them with regard to the
reprisal they made.*
Eesolved, That the council of this Colony in advising and
co-operating with Lord Dunmore in issuing the proclamation of
the 3d of May last, charging the people of this Colony with an
*Amer. Arch., Vol. II., pp. 16-20, 16-21.
20() Soiilhircst Virginia, l'7Jt6-1786.
ungovernahlc spirit and licentious 2:)ractices, is contrary to many
known inattcM's of fact, and l)nt too jnstly shows to us that those
who oiialit to be mediators and guardians of our liberties are
become the abject tools of a detested administration.
Eesolved, That it is the ojiinion of this committee that the
late sanguinary attempt and pre])arations of the King's troops, in
the C'olony of Narragansett Bay, are truly alarming and irritating,
and loudly call upon all, even the most distant and interiour parts
of the Colonies, to prepare and be ready for the extreme event, by
a fixed resolution and a firm and manly resolve to avert ministerial
cruelty, in defence of our reasonable rights and liberties.
A perusal of these resolutions clearly show the spirit that ani-
mated the people of Fincastle county. The third Continental Con-
gress asseudjled at Philadeli)hia on the loth day of May, 1775, and
elected the following oificers :
l*residcnt, Peyton Randolph, Virginia;
Secretary, -Charles Thompson, of Pennsylvania.
Among the first measures proposed and adopted by this Con-
gress was one looking to the placing of the Colonies in a defensive
position and, on the 7th day of June, 1775, the Congress passed
a resolution fixing the 30th day of July, 1775, as a day to be
observed by the twelve Colonies in humiliation, fasting and prayer.
About this time. General Gage, commander of the British forces
at Boston, issued a proclamation in the King's name^ offering a
jiardon to all of the people who would lay down their arms, except
John Hancock and Samii^l Adams.
At this time, Peyton Randolph, President of the Continental
Congress, resigned his position as President of the Congress, and
thereii]K)n John Hancock was elected president — this election
being in answer to General Gage's proclamation. On the 15th of
June, 1775, tlie Continental Congress, by a unanimous vote, elected
as Commander-in-Chief of all the continental forces George
Washington, of Virginia, and elected the following Major-Gen-
erals: Artemus Ward. Philip Schuyler and Charles Lee, and Ho-
ratio Gates, as Adjutant-General.
On the 17th of June, 1775, the battle of Breed's Hill was
fought, in which l)attle the British suffered a loss of eleven hundred
men, of whdin two hundred and twenty-six were killed, eighty-nine
of the niiiiiher ollicers. '^I'lie American loss was four hundred and
Southwest Virginia, 17J,0-17S0. ^07
fifty-three killed, wounded and missing. The Continental Con-
gress, in this month, ordered twelve rifle companies to l)e raised
in Virginia, ^laryland and Pennsylvania, and directed the issuing
of two million dollars in continental currency, for the redemption
of \\liich they pledged the ])roperty of the twelve Colonies. Gen-
eral Washington, immediately upon the receipt of his commission,
proceeded to Massachusetts, where he took charge of the continental
troops, and, l)y the middle of August, the rifle companies ordered
to he raised in Virginia, reached Camhridge, Massachusetts, in '
time to take part in the capture of Boston.
While we have no documentary evidence of the fact, there can
be no douht that a nuniher of the riflemen from Fincastle county
accompanied the troops from Virginia. In the meantime, on the
()th day of July, 1775, the Congress of the United Colonies adojited
a memorial setting forth the causes that led to, and the necessity
of, their taking up arms.
On the 24th day of Jul}', 1775, the ("olonial Convention of Vir-
ginia met at ^^'illiamsbu^g and appointed a Committee of Safety,
and passed an act for the raising of two regiments to be placed
under the command of Patrick Henry, who was made commander
of all tlie forces raised and to l)e raised in defence of the Colony.
The two regiments were speedily raised, and assembled at Wil-
liamsburg.
The Committee of Safety for Fincastle county, in answer to the
resolutions of the Virginia Convention, immediately dispatched a
company of choice riflemen from Fincastle county, under the com-
mand of Captain William Campbell, this company being among the
first to arrive at Williamsburg.
On the 3d day of Septemljer of this year, a Britisli ship-of-war
was driven ashore near Hampton, Virginia, during a storm, and,
on the morning of the 4th, the people set fire to and destroyed it.
The captain of the ship threatened to burn the town and actually
tried to do so, but the Virginia Committee of Safety dispatched
Colonel Woodford, with three companies of riflemen, to the assist-
ance of the people of Hampton. Of the three companies thus dis-
patched, one was the company of Fincastle troops under Captain
William Campbell.*
When the British captain began his attack upon the town he
*Amer. Arch., Vol. — , p. 296.
208 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
was so warmly received by Colonel Woodford and his men, that he
took to flight after the loss of a number of men. Thus it will
be seen that troops from Fincastle county took part in the first
engagement of the Eevolutionai-y war, on Virginia soil, in which
blood was slied. Upon the receipt of this information. Lord Dun-
more issued a proclamation, proclaiming freedom to all the slaves
who would join his standard. He thus gathered a considerable
number of volunteers, of whom four hundred were slaves. Colonel
Woodford and his company returned to Williamsburg. Lord Dun-
more with his forces began a series of depredations upon the people
living along the sea-coast, and the Virginia Committee of Safety
again dispatched Colonel Woodford at the head of eight hundred
men to drive him from his position at the Great Bridge. Colonel
Woodford had not been long in the vicinity of the Great Bridge,
when Lord Dunmore dispatched Captain Leslie, with the regular
troops and slaves, to attack the troops under Colonel Woodford,
and, as the result of this attempt, every man of the British
troops was killed, wounded or captured ; whereupon. Governor Dun-
more and his troops went aboard their ships, leaving Colonel Wood-
ford and the Colonial troops in complete control of the position
formerly occupied by the Governor.
The Colonial troops that assembled at Williamsburg formed
two battalions, and the first battalion, to which the troops from
Fincastle were attached , was officered as followed :
Colonel, Patrick Henry.
Lieutenant-Colonel, William Christian, of Fincastle county.
Major, Frank Eppes.
Lord Dunmore, after his defeat at the Great Bridge, placed all
his white followers on board the ships and left his negro allies
to shift for themselves. After some time his provisions began to
grow scarce, when he sent a request to the citizens of Norfolk for
supplies, which request was denied, and on the 1st day of January,
1776, he began to bombard the town of Norfolk, with four ships,
and, under cover of the fire from these ships, a company of sailors
landed and set fire to the town, which soon was a heap of ashes;
an uncalled for act upon the part of the British forces.
The British Parliament at its session in 1776, passed an act pro-
hibiting all trade and intercourse with the thirteen American
Colo'nies, and, about the same time, the King of England nego-
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 209
tiated treaties witli some of tJie petty princes of Germany for the
use of a number of Hessian troops in the campaign against the
American Colonies. When information of this act of the British
Parliament reached General Washington, he decided to drive
the British from Boston and proceeded to do so on the 2d of March,
and, on the 4th day of ]\Iarch, General Thomas, with a detachment
of the American troops, took charge of Dorchester Heights over-
looking Boston harlwr. In a few days thereafter. General Howe,
with nine thousand British troops, evacuated Boston without a
fight, and General Washington, at the head of the continental army,
took possession on the 17th day of March, 177C.
On the 6th day of May, 177C, the first constitutional conven-
tion assembled in Virginia, at Williamsburg, pursuant to the direc-
tions of the Committee of Safety, under an ordinance of the con-
vention of 1775, which directed that, in view of the fact tliat the
usual meeting of the General Assembly in a constitutional way had
been altogether obstructed, it had become indispensably necessary
for the oppressed people of this country, at a crisis so alarming,
to adopt such other mode of consulting and providing for the gen-
eral safety as may seem most conducive to that great end. The
members of this convention were elected in the same manner in
which the members of the House of Burgesses had been previously
elected, and the representatives in this convention from Fincastle
county, were :
Arthur Campbell,
W^illiam Russell, ^
both citizens of that part of Fincastle county afterwards included
in the subseqiiently formed county of Washington.
It is hard to understand, except upon the idea that the people
living upon the waters of the Holston and Clinch exceeded in
number the people living on the waters of the New river in Fin-
castle county, how both members of this Convention should have
been residents of the western part of Fincastle county.
Some may say that this was done by consent, but such was not
the fact, for the elections in those days were as hotly contested
as any held in more recent times. It is worthy to be remembered,
that in these early days every freeholder was required to vote under
the penalty of two hundred pounds of tobacco for a failure, and
every freeholder was required to attend and vote on the day
210 South iccsrVinjinla, 17J,G-17S0.
a])p()inted, at the Lead Mines, the county seat of Fincastle county.
Tlie Virginia convention of 1776 was one of the most important
comentions ever lield in tlie State, whether we consider the char-
acter of the memhers, or the work done by them. The Virginia
Colony at tliis time was in open revolt, and Lord Dunmore, the
Governor, was an exile from the State.
Tlic King by liis proclamation had declared the citizens of the
(_!olony rebels and enemies, and now the })eo2jle by their representa-
tives proceeded in an orderly manner to establish a government
for themselves.
The constitution and bill of rights adopted by this convention
clearly defined the fundamental principles of all free government,
and the Declaration of Independence, enunciated at this time, was,
beyond (piestion, the forerunner of the Great Declaration of Inde-
pendence adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4th, 1770.
The Bill of Eights adopted by this convention, is as follows:
"1st. Whereas, George the Tliird, King of Great Britain
and Ireland and Elector of Hanover, heretofore intrusted with the
exercise of the kingly office in this government, hath endeavored
to pei-vert the same into a detestable and insupportable tyranny,
by putting his negative on laws the most wholesome and necessary
for the publick good ;
By denying his governoui's permission to pass laws of imme-
diate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation
for his assent, and, when so suspended, neglecting to attend to
them for many years;
By refusing to pass certain other laws, unless the persons to be
benefitted by them would relinf[uish the inestimable right of repre-
sentation in the legislatures;
By dissolving legislative assem.blies repeatedly and continually,
for 0])))osing with manly firmness his invasions of the rights of
the people;
When dissolved, by refusing to call others for a long space of
time, thereljy leaving the political system without any legislative
head ;
By endeavoring to prevent the population of our country, and,
for that ])nT]-)ose, obstructing the laws for the naturalization of
foreigners ;
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 211
By keeping among us in times of peace, standing armies and
ships of war;
By affecting to render tlie military independent of, and superior
to the civil power;
By coml)ining with others to subject us to a foreign jurisdiction,
giving his assent to their pretended acts of legislation ;
For quartei-ing large bodies of armed troops among us ;
For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world ;
For imposing taxes on us without our consent;
For depriving us of the benefits of trial by jury;
For transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended of-
fences ;
For suspending our own legislatures, and declaring themselves
invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever ;
By plundering our seas, ravaging our coasts, burning our towm:.,
and destroying the lives of our people ;
By inciting insurrections of our fellow-subjects, with the al-
lurements of forfeiture and confiscation;
By prompting our negroes to rise in arms among us, those very
negroes, whom, by an inhuman use of his negative, he hath refused
us permission to exclude by law ;
By endeavoring to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers " the
merciless Indian savages, whose known rule of warfare is an un-
distinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions of exist-
ence;
By transporting, at this time, a large army of foreign mer-
cenaries, to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny al-
ready begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy unworthy
the head of a civilized nation;
By answering our repeated petitions for redress with a repeti-
tion of injuries ;
And, finally, by abandoning the helm of government, and de-
claring us out of his allegiance and protection.
By which several acts of misrule, the government of this coun-
try, as formerly exercised under the Crown of Great Britain, is
TOTALLY DISSOLVED.*
The result of this action by the Convention was the formation
*9 Hen. Stat., page 112.
212 Southwest Virginia, 17J,6-1786.
of a stable and efficient government for the State, and the organi-
zation of the militia of the commonwealth.
This Constitution was proclaimed on the 29th day of June, 1776,
on which day the Committee of Safety, designated by the con-
vention of 1775, relinquished their authority, and Patrick Henry
was -elected the first Governor of the Commonwealth. At the same
time the Privy Council, Treasurer, Attorney General, and the
other state officers were elected by the convention. This conven-
tion, by a resolution, adopted a design for a seal for the new com-
monwealth. The design adopted was as follows :
"To be engraved on the Great Seal, Virtus, the genius of the
Commonwealth, dressed like an Amazon, resting on a spear with
one hand and holding a sword with the other hand and treading
on Tyranny, represented by a man prostrate, a crown fallen from
his head, a broken chain in his left hand and a scourge in his
right. In the exergon the word "Virginia" over the head of Vir-
tus, and underneath the words, ^'^Sic semper tyrannis." On the
reverse a groupe, Libertas, with her wand and pileus. On the other
side of her Ceres, with the cornucopia in one hand and an ear of
wheat in the other. On the other side Eternitas, with globe and
phoenix. In the exergon tliese words : Deus IsTobis Hasc Otia Fecit."
This declaration of the Virginia convention is said to have been
the first declaration of independence recorded in the world's his-
tory. The American people, until this time, had not seriously con-
templated a complete separation from England, but now that the
British Parliament had refused to listen to their petition and was
waging an active war against them, Eichard Henry Lee, a repre-
sentative from Virginia in the Continental Congress at Phila-
delphia, in the month of May, gave notice that on a day named
he would move the Congress to adopt a Declaration of Independ-
ence.
Early in this same month the Continental Congress had adopted
a resolution for the purpose of ascertaining the sentiment of the
American colonies on the subject of the independence of America.
The motion of Mr. Lee was postponed from day to day, until the
first day of July, two days after the adoption of the Virginia Con-
stitution and Bill of Eights, when the Continental Congress re-
solved itself into a committee of the whole, and began the con-
sideration of the report of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benja-
Southwest Virginia, 17^6-1786. 213
inin Franklin, Eoger Sherman, and E. E. Livingston, the com-
mittee who had been appointed on the 11th of Jime to prepare
a Declaration of Independence.
It is worthy of note that this committee, when appointed,
agreed that each member should draw up a Declaration of Inde-
pendence according to his own ideas, with the understanding that
the one that best conformed to the wishes of the committee as a
whole should be adopted as the report of the committee. It is
stated that Mr. Jefferson's Declaration, being the first read, was
imanimously adopted by the committee without debate, the other
members refusing to submit their papers for consideration.
The Continental Congress, after three days of heated discussion,
adopted the report of the committee, which report has since been
known as the Declaration of Independence, and is as follows :
When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for
one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected
them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth
the separate and ecpial station to which the laws of nature and
nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of man-
kind requires that they should declare the causes which impel
them to such separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident ; that all men are created
equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain un-
alienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pur-
suit of happiness ; that to secure these rights, governments are
instituted among men, deriving their just powers from tlic consent
of the governed, that whenever any form of government becomes
destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or
abolish it, and to institute a new government, laying its founda-
tion on such principles and organizing its power in such form as
to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.
Prudence, indeed, would dictate that governments long established
should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accord-
ingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed
to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by
abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed; but when a
long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same
object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism.
214 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
it is their right, it is their duty to throw off such government, and
to provide now guards for their future security.
Such has been tlie patient sufferance of these colonies, and such
is now the necessity wliich constrains tliem to alter their former
systems of government. The history of the present King of Great
Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all hav-
ing in direct object the establishment cf an absolute tyranny over
these States. To prove this let facts be submitted to a candid
world.
He has refused his assent to laws the most wholesome and neces-
sary for the public good.
He has forbidden his governors to pass laws of immediate and
pressing importance, unless suspended in their operations till his
assent should be obtained ; and when so suspended he has utterly
neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other laws for the accommodation of
large districts of people, imless those people would relinquish the
rights of representation in the legislature — a right inestimable to
them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, un-
comfortable and distant from the depository of their public
records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance
with his measures.
He has dissolved representative houses repeatedly for opposing,
with manly firmness, his invasion of the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to -
cause others to be elected, whereby the legislative powers, incapa-
ble of annihilation, have returned to the people at large for their
exercise, the State remaining in the meantime exposed to all the
dangers of invasion from without and convulsions within.
He has endeavored to prevent the population of these States;
for that purpose obstructing the laws for naturalization of foTcign-
ers, refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither,
and raising the conditions of new aj^propriations of lands.
He has obstructed the administration of justice by refusing his
assent to laws for establishing judiciary powers.
He has made judges dependent on his will alone for the tenure
of their offices and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither
Southwest Virginia, 17J^6-1786. 215
swarms of officers, to harrass our people and eat out their sub-
stance.
He has kept among ns in times of peace standing armies with-
out the consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the military independent of and su-
perior to the civil power.
He has combined with otliers to subject us to a jurisdiction
foreign to our constitution and unacknowledged by our laws,
giving his assent to their pretended acts of legislation.
For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us,
For protecting them by a mock trial, from punishment, for any
murders which they should commit on the inhabitants of these
States,
For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world.
For imposing taxes on us without our consent,
For depriving us in many cases of the benefit of trial by jury,
FoT transporting us beyond seas, to be tried for pretended
offences,
For abolishing the free system of English laws in a neighboring
Province, establisliing therein an arbitrary government and enlarg-
ing its boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit
instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these
Colonies,
For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws
and altering fundamentally the powers of our gO'Vernments.
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves
invested with power to legislature for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out of his
protection and waging war against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns,
and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is, at this time, transporting large armies of foreign mer-
cenaries, to complete the work of death, desolation and tyranny,
already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely
paralleled in the most barbarous ages and totally unworthy the
head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow-citizens, taken captive on the
high seas, to bear arms against their country, to become the execu-
216 Southwest Virginia, 17J,6-1786.
tioners of their friends and brethren, or to fall themselves by their
hands.
He has excited domestick insurrections amongst us, and has
endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers the merci-
less Indian savages, whose known rule of warfare is an undistin-
guished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these oppressions, we have petitioned for redress
in the most humble terms; our repeated petitions have been
answered only by repeated injur3^ A Prince whose character is
thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant is unfit to be
the ruler of a free people.
Nor have we been wanting in attention to our British brethren.
We have warned them from time to time, of attempts, made by their
Legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us; we
have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and
settlement here; we have appealed to their native justice and mag-
nanimity; and we have conjured them, by the ties of our common
kindred, to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably
interrupt our connections and correspondence. They, too, have
been deaf to the voice of justice and consanguinity. We must there-
fore acquiesce in the necessity which denounces our separation,
and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, enemies in war,
in peace friends.
We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of
America in General Congress assembled, appealing to the Supreme
Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the
name and by the authority of the good people of these Colonies,
solemnly publish and declare, that these United Colonies are, and
of right ought to be, free and independent States; that they
are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown.; and that
all political connections between them and the State of Great
Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved ; and that, as free and
independent States, they have full power to le\7 war, conclude
peace, contract alliances, establish commerce and to do all other acts
and things which independent States may of right do. And for
the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protec-
tion of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our
lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.
It has been said that this Declaration of Independence was the
Southwest Virginia, 17Jf6-1786. 217
most sublime exhibition that man has ever made to man. The
members composing the Congress were, in their intelligence and
patriotism, the giants of our race, and the object of that Congress
was the protection of our race.
This Declaration of Independence was proclaimed at Philadel-
phia on the 8th day of July, 1776, and on the 9th it was read
to each brigade of the Continental army. This declaration was
received by the people at all points with the greatest enthusiasm.
A part of the policy adopted by the British Ministry for the
reduction of the American Colonies was the enlisting of the
Indians in the service of the British Government. We have now
reached that point where the history of Southwest Virginia is
closely connected with the operations of the Indians in behalf of
the British Government. Numerous agents of the Eoyal Govern-
ment were sent to the different Indian tribes living along the
waters of the western frontiers, and they were so fai successful in
their efforts to incite the Indian tribes to war, that, by the spring
of 1776, the Creeks, Cherokees, Choctaws and Chickasaws were
induced to take up arms in behalf of their British allies. The
Cherokee Indians, who were the nearest and most accessible tribe
to the white settlers, were more numerous than most of the other
Indian tribes, and they were the first to take up arms at the instance
of the British agents.
If the British government had any friends among the back-
woodsmen of Fincastle county, this action was of such a character
as to alienate the affection and respect of every respectable man.
In speaking of the success of the British agents in this matter,
a distinguished author has said : "Their success and the constant
ravages of the Indians maddened the American frontiersmen upon
whom the blow fell, and changed their resentment against the
British king into a deadly and lasting hatred, which their sons and
grandsons inherited.
Indian warfare was of such peculiar atrocity that the employ-
ment of Indians as allies forbade any further hope of reconciliation.
They saw their homes destroyed, their wives outraged, their chil-
dren captured, their friends butchered and tortured wholesale by
Indians armed with British weapons, bribed by British gold and
obeying the orders of British agents and commanders."*
♦Winning of the West, Part II., p. 76.
318 Southwest Virginia, 17Jf6-1786.
About this time Colonel Arthur Campbell, of Fincastle county,
in writing of this action of the British Government, in arming the
Indian tribes, expressed himself as follows : "This infernal malig-
nity of a professed Christian prince was reserved to be exhibited to
the world in the reign of George III."
Alexander Cameron, the British agent among the Cherokee
Indians, lost dlo time in calling together the chiefs and warriors of
this tribe of Indians, to inform them of the wishes of his govern-
ment. When Cameron disclosed to the Indians his plans, they
were greatly astonished, and would not, for some time, believe the
statement of Cameron, that one part of the white people wished to
wage war against their brothers, for a civil war was unknown
between Indians speaking the same language, but he finally suc-
ceeded in enlisting the Indians by promising them presents in
clothing and by telling them that they could plunder and rob the
settlers, and by inducing them to believe that all the lands on the
western waters would be reserved to them by the British govern-
ment as their hunting grounds. This tribe of Indians had been
acting for some time in a manner that clearly indicated that they
were determined upon hostilities.
In the spring of 1775, Andrew Greer, had gone to the Cherokee
towns to purchase furs. While there, he had observed the conduct
of two white traders, and was convinced that they intended to do
him some injury, If possible. When he started from the Indian
towns for his home, he left the main trading path and came up the
Nolichucky trace and escaped injury, but, at the same time,. two
men by the name of Boyd and Doggett, who had been sent to the
Indian towns by the Virginia authorities, were met on the trace
that Greer had left, at Boyd's creek, by Indians, and were killed
by them and their bodies hidden. The Virginia settlement had
long been at peace with the Indians, but they were sufficiently
acquainted with their character to know, that, having once tasted
blood, their disposition was to indulge to excess, and now they knew
they must prepare for a long and bloody war with a tribe of Indians
that exceeded them in numbers. T"hey at once proceeded to put
their frontier settlements in a defensive attitude. A fort was built
at Watauga, to which Avas given the name of Fort Lee, the old fort*
at Long Island was repaired and called Fort Patrick Henry.
*Fort Robinson.
Southwest Virginia, 17Jf6-1786. 219
Another fort was erected about seven miles east from Long Island,
at Amos Eaton's, on the trace leading to Fort Chiswell. A fort was
erected shortly before this time at Eye Cove, about fifty miles from
the North Fork of Clinch, by a man by the name of Isaac Crismen,
who was, afterwards, with two members of his family, murdered by
the Indians.
Information of the invasion intended by the Indians was for-
warded to the Committee of Safety of Fincastle county by Isaac
Thomas, an Indian trader, at the instance of Nancy Ward, a noted
Indian woman and a relative of several of the principal chiefs.
The frontier settlement, at this day, was in Carter's Valley, the
settlers obtaining their supplies from the settlement at Wolf Hill
..-.^^(now Abingdon).
The action of the Virginia Committee of Safety, requiring a
test oath of all the citizens of the Commonwealth, had driven many
sympathizers of the British Government to this settlement in Car-
ter's Valley, where they hoped to escape the consequences of their
refusal to subscribe to the oath, but information of their presence
was obtained by John Carter, a Virginian, who communicated the
information he had obtained to the settlers near Wolf Hill. These
settlers were great Whigs, and, upon receiving this information, a
number of them assembled and went to Brown's settlement in Car-
ter's Valley, and after having assembled the people, John Coulter,
a member of the county court of this county, administered to them
an oath to be faithful to the common cause. Early in May, the
settlers in Carter's Valley and all the families below the North
Fork of the Holston, in view of the threatened Indian invasion,
left their homes and returned to the settlements. To add to the
alarm of the frontier settlers, a letter was delivered at the house
of Charles Eobertson, on the 18th day of May, 1776, under circum-
stances that were exceedingly suspicious; which letter accompanied
by the affidavit of Nathan Eeed, was as f oIIom^s : "Wattaga
This day, Nathan Eeed came before me, one of the justices of Wat-
taga, and made oath on the Holy Evangelists of Almighty God,
that a stranger came up to Charles Eobertson's gate yesterday even-
ing— who he was he did not know — and delivered a letter of which
this is a true copy. Sworn before me the 19th of May, 1776.
Attest, James Smith. John Carter."
"Gentlemen: — Some time ago, Mr. Cameron and myself wrote
220 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
you a letter by Mr. Thomas, and enclosed a talk we had with the
Indians resjwcting the purchase which is reported you lately m-J.dc-
of them on the rivers Wattaga, Nolichucky. We are since informed
that you are under great apprenhension of the Indians doing mis-
cirief immediately. But it is not the desire of his Majesty to =iet
bis friends and allies, the Indians, on his liege subjects: therefore
whoever you are, that are willing to join his Majesty's forces as
soon as they arrive at the Cherokee nation, by repairing to the
King's standard, shall find protection for themselves and their
families and be free from all danger whatever; yet, that his
Majesty's oflficers may be certain which of you are willing to take
up arms in his Majesty's just right, I have thought fit to recom-
mend it to you and every one that is desirous of preventing in-
evitable ruin to themselves and families, immediately to subscribe
a written paper acknowledging their allegiance to his Majesty
King George, and that they are ready and willing, whenever called
on, to appear in arms in defence of the British right in America ;
which paper, as soon as it is signed and sent to me safe by hand,
should any of the inhabitants be desirous of knowing how they are
to be free from every kind of insult and danger, inform them that
his Majesty will immediately land an army in West Florida, march
them through the Creek to the Chickasaw nation, where five hun-
dred warriors from each nation are to join them, and then come
by Chota, who have promised their assistance, and then to take pos-
session of the frontiers of North Carolina and Virginia, at the
same time that his Majesty's forces make a diversion on the sea
coast of those Provinces. If any of the inhabitants have any beef,
cattle, flour, pork or horses to spare, they shall have a good price
for them by applying to us, as soon as his Majesty's troops are em-
bodied. I am yours, &c.,
"Henry Stuart.'"
Henry Stuart was the Deputy Superintendent of Indian Affairs
for the British Government, and in this capacity he wrote this let-
ter. This letter did not accomplish its purpose, and only had the
effect of exciting the settlers to more vigorous efforts to resist the
plans of the agents of the British crown. On the 8th of June Jar-
rett Williams, an Indian trader, returned to the Virginia settle-
ment from the Cherokee towns and gave further information as to
the intention of the Indians, which information was embodied in
Southwest Virginia, 171^6-1786. 221
0'-
an affidavit given before Anthony Bledsoe, a justice of the peace of
Fincastle county. The affidavit was as follows :
"Fincastle, ss. — The deposition of Jarret Williams taken before
me, Anthony Bledsoe, a justice of the peace for the county afore-
said, being first sworn on the Holy Evangelists of Almighty God,
deposeth and saith : That he left the Cherokee nation on Monday
night, the 8th inst. (July) ;
"That the part of the nation called the Over-Hills were then
preparing to go to war against the frontiers of Virginia, having
purchased to the amount of 1,000 skins or thereabouts, for mocka-
sons. They were also beating flour for a march, and making other
warlike preparations. Their number, from' calculation made by
the Eaven Warrior, amoimts to about six hundred warriors; and,
according to the deponent's idea, he thinks we may expect a gen-
eral attack any hour. They propose to take away negroes and
horses, and to kill all kinds of sheep, cattle, &c. ; also to de-
stroy all corn, burn houses, &c. And he also heard that the
Valley towns were, a part of them, set off; but that they had
sent a runner to stop them till all were ready to start. He
further relates that Alexander Cameron informed them that he
had concluded to send Captain Nathaniel Guist, William Paulin,
Isaac Williams and the deponent with the Indians, till they
came near to jSTolichucky, then the Indians were to stop and Guest
and the other whites above mentioned were to go to see if there
were any King's men among the inhabitants; and if they found
any they were to take them off to the Indians or have a white sig-
nal in their hands, or otherwise to distinguish them. When this
was done they were to fall on the inhabitants and kill and drive
all they possibly could.
"That on Saturday, the 6tli inst., in the night, he heard two
prisoners were brought in about midnight, but the deponent saw
only one. That the within Williams saw only one scalp brought
by a party of Indians, with a prisoner; but, from accounts, they
had five scalps. He also says he heard the prisoner examined by
Cameron, thought he gave a very imperfect account, being very
much cast down. He further says that the Cherokees had received
the war-belt from the Shawnese, Mingo, Taawah and Delaware
nations, to strike the white people. That fifteen of the said na-
tions were in the Cherokee towns, and that few of the Cherokees
222 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
■ •
went in company with the Shawnese, &c. That they all intended
to strike the settlers in Kentucky; and that the Cherokees gave
the Shawnese four scalps of white men, which they had carried
away with them. The said Shawnese and Mingoes informed the
Cherokees that they were then at peace with every other nation ;
that the French were to supply them with ammunition, and that
they wanted the Cherokees to join them to strike the white peo-
ple on the frontiers, which the Cherokees have agreed to.
"And the deponent further saith that, before he left the nation,
a number of the Cherokees of the Lower Towns were gone to fall
on the frontiers of South Carolina and Georgia ; and further saith
not. Jarrett Williams/''
Signed before Anthony Bledsoe.
The settlers on the waters of tlie Holston and Clinch were greatly
aroused by the information received, and the militia was or-
ganized and armed for the purpose of resisting the contemplated
expedition planned by Cameron, the British agent. The reader
must remember that all the settlements as low down as Carter's
Valley, and including the settlement at Watauga, were governed
by Virginia laws at this time, and expected and received protec-
tion from the authorities of Fincastle county in Virginia.
Upon the receipt of this information the Watauga committee
sent an express to Colonel William Preston, the county lieutenant
of Fincastle county, detailing to him their situation and requesting
the assistance of the authorities and supplies of lead and powder.
Colonel Preston replied to this letter on June 3d as follows :
"Gentlemen, — Your letter of the 30th ult. with the deposition of
Mr. Bryan, came to hand this evening by your messenger. The
news is really alarming, with regard to the disposition of the In-
dians, who are doubtless advised to break with the white people,
by the enemies to American liberty who reside among them. But
T cannot conceive that you have anything to fear from the pre-
tended invasion by British troops, by the route they mention.
This must, in my opinion, be a scheme purposely calculated to in-
timidate the inhabitants, either to abandon their plantations or
turn enemies to their country, neither of which I hope it will be
able to effect.
"Our Convention, on the 14th of May, ordered 500 poimds of gun-
powder to each of the counties of Fincastle, Botetourt, Augusta, and
Southwest Virginia, 17^6-1786. 223
West Augusta, , and double that quantity of
lead They likewise ordered 100 men to be forthwith
raised in Fincastle, to be stationed where our committee directs for
the protection of the frontier I sent the several letters
and depositions you furnished me, from which it is reasonable to
belie\e that when all these shall have been examined vigorous meas-
ures will be adopted for our protection.
"I have already advertised our committee to meet at Fort Chis-
well on Tuesday the 11th instant, and have directed the candidates
for commissions in the new companies to exert themselves in engag-
ing the number of men required until then. I much expect we shall
have further news from Williamsburg by the time the committee
meets. I have written toi Colonel Calloway the second time for 200
pounds of lead, which I hope he will deliver the bearer. This re-
ply will, I hope, be some relief to j'our distressed settlement, and, as
I said before, should more be wantecf I am convinced you may be
supplied. I am fully convinced that the expense will be repaid
you by the Convention of Virginia or North Carolina on a fair rep-
resentation of the case being laid before them, whichsoever of them
takes your settlement under protection, as there is not the least
reason that any one part of the colony should be at any extraor-
dinary expense in the defence of the whole, and you may be as-
sured you cannot be overstocked with that necessary article, for
should it please Providence that the impending storm should blow
over, and there would be no occasion to use the ammunition in the
general defense, then it might be sold out to individuals, and the
expense of the whole be reimbursed to those who so generously con-
tributed towards the purchase.
"I am, with the most sincere wishes for the safety of your settle-
ment, your most obedient and very humble servant,
"Wm. Pkeston."
The information brought by Thomas to the settlement was to the
effect that seven hundred warriors were to attack the white settle-
ments in two divisions of three hundred and fifty each, led by
Dragging Canoe and Oconostota. The one commanded by Ocono-
stota was to attack the Watauga settlements, while the other, com-
manded by Dragging Canoe, was to attack and break up the settle-
ments between the North and South fork of the Holston river.
224 Southivest Virginia, 17Jt6-1786.
Battle of Long Island Flats.
Upon the receipt of this news a few of the militia hastily as-
sembled and proceeded to Amos Eaton's, the frontier hoiise, about
fifteen miles in advance of tlie settlement, and began to build a
kind of stockade fort with fence-rails, and after some time a
breast-work was completed suflicient to repel a considerable number.
Thereupon expresses were sent to 'J'hompson's Fort, now on the
Ihiff farm, in the upper end of this county; to Edmiston's Fort,
now near Lodi, Virginia; to Cocke's Fort, on Spring Creek; to
Shelby's Fort, on Holston river, and to the settlements"**near Wolf
Hills, and on the following morning about one hundred and seventy
men reported at Eaton's Fort under the command of :
James Thompson, James Shelby,
\ William Buchanan, John Campbell,
William Cocke, Thomas Madison.
On the 19th day of July, 17 76, the scouts returned to Eaton's
Fort and reported that a great number of Indians were making
into the settlements.
Upon the receipt of tliis information it was debated as to the
prudent course to pursue, to await the coming of the Indians in
the fort or to march out and meet them in the woods and fight them
wherever they could be found. Capt. William Cocke argued that
the Indians would not attack them in the fort, but would pass
by and assail the settlements, killing and butchering and carrying
off the property, and proposed to march out and meet the enemy.
The proposition made by Captain Cocke prevailed, and the entire
company, consisting of one hundred and seventy men, marched
from the fort in tlie direction of Long Island, which was about
seven miles distant. This company marched in two divisions, with
flankers on each side and scouts before, and had proceeded not more
than five miles when they discovered about twenty Indians meet-
ing them, upon whom they fired. The Indians returned the fire,
whcT-eupon the white men rushed upon them and put them to flight.
Ten bundles and a good deal of plunder were captured by the white
men, and it was thought that some of the Indians were wounded.
The ground where this skirmish took place was not very advantage-
ous for a pursuit, and the men -were with great difficulty restrained
from pursuing the Indians. A council was held, and it was decided
Southwest Virginia, 171^6-1786. 225
to return, as the officers had good reason to believe that a large
part}^ of Indians were not a great way off. They accordingly re-
turned, and had not marched more than a mile when they heard a
noise like distant thunder, and looking around they saw the whole
Indian force running upon them at full speed, whereupon they
made a hasty retreat to an eminence, where they rallied, and Cap-
tain Thompson, the officer in command, ordered that the right line
form for battle to the right and the left line to the left, and to face
. the enemy.
In attempting to obey the orders of Captain Thompson, the head
of the right line bore too much along the road leading in the direc-
tion of the station, and Lieutenant Eobert Davis, perceiving that
the Indians were trying to outflank them, took a part of the line
and formed them as quickly as possible on the right, across the flat
to the ridge, preventing the Indians from accomplishing their pur-
]jose. The officers and many of the men exhibited in this battle a
heroism almost unexampled, ^^'hen the Indians began their attack,
it was with great fury, those in front halloing, "The Unacas are run-
ning. Come on and scalp them." The Indian attack was made
upon the centre and the left flank of the whites at the same time,
and as a result the troops were thrown into great confusion, and it
was found almost impossible to form the troops in the face of the
Indian attacks. Whereupon Capt. James Shelby, stepping to the
front, ordered the several companies to go to the rear and reform
their ranks, while he, accompanied by Lieut. Wm. Moore, Robert
Edmiston, John Morrison and John Findlay, kept the Indians at
bay.
Gilmore, in his ''.Rear Guard of the Revolution," makes the state-,
ment that Edmiston, in a hand-to-hand fight, slew three or four
Indians, Morrison as many more, and that Moore became engaged
in a desperate struggle with a herculean Indian chieftain, and, as
if by general consent, the Indians paused to await its issue. This
delay, no doubt, saved much loss of life among the one hundred and
seventy. It lasted for some minutes, but ended by Moore sinking
his tomahawk into the brain of the Indian. The whites, in the
meantime, had formed their line of battle about a quarter of a mile
long and began to pour a destructive fire into the Cherokees from
cover whenever possible. The Indians, having witnessed the end
of the conflict between Moore and their chieftain, made a rapid
22G Southwest Virginia, 17J^6-1786.
advance upon Shelby and his companions, who, about this time,
began to fall back to their line. Whereupon the Indians made a
furious asssault upon Robert Edmiston, wlio held a position in the
centre of the line, during which assault it was afterwards charged
that Edmiston used profane language, upon which charge he was
tried by the Ebbing Spring Presb3i;erian congregation. The en-
gagement lasted from one-half to three-quarters of an hour, when
the Indians disappeared as if by magic, leaving the wliite men
masters of the situation. Thirteen dead Indians were found on the
ground, and many more might have been found if search had been
made for them, for many trails of blood were seen where the dead
had been carried off or the wounded escaped. It is wonderful to
record the fact that no white man was killed in this battle and only
four slightly wounded. The names of the white men wounded in
this battle are, so far as I can ascertain, Joshua Jones and John
Findlay.
We here give a report of this engagement made by the captains in
command to Col. William Preston, the county lieutenant of Fin-
castle county:
"On the 19th our scouts returned and informed us that they had
discovered where a great number of Indians were making into the
settlements, upon which alarm the few men stationed at Eaton's
completed a breast-work sufficiently strong, with the assistance of
what men were there, to have repelled a considerable number ; sent
expresses to the different stations and collected all the forces in
one body, and the moTning after about one hundred aaid seventy
turned out in search of the enemy. We marched in two divisions,
with flankers on each side and scouts before. Our scouts discov-
ered upwards of twenty meeting us, and fired on them. They re-
turned the fire, but our men rushed on them with such violence that
they were obliged to make a precipitate retreat. We took ten bundles
and a good deal of plunder, and had great reason to think some of
them were wounded. This small skirmish happened on ground
very disadvantageous for our men to pursue, though it was with
the greatest difficulty our officers could restrain their men. A coun-
cil was held, and it was thought advisable to return, as we imagined
there was a large party not far off. We accordingly returned, and
had not marched more than a mile when a number, not inferior to
ours, attacked us in the rear. Our men sustained the attack with
Southwest Virginia, 17 46-17 S6. 337
great bravery and intrepidity, immediately forming a line. The
Indians endeavored to surround us, but were prevented by the un-
common fortitude and vigilance of Capt. James Shelby, who took
possession of an eminence that prevented their design. Our line of
battle extended about a quarter of a mile. We killed about thir-
teen on the spot, whom we found, and we have the greatest reason
to believe that we could have found a great many more had we had
time to search for them. There were streams of blood every way,
and it was generally thought tJiere was never so much execution
done in so short a time on the frontiers. Never did troops fight with
greater calmness than ours did. The Indians attacked us with the
greatest fury imaginable, and made the most vigorous efforts to sur-
round us. Our spies really deserve the greatest applause. We took
a great deal of plunder and many guns, and had only four men
greatly wounded. The rest of the troops are in high spirits and
eager for another engagement. We have the greatest reason to be-
lieve they are pouring in great numbers on us, and beg the assistance
of our friends.
. "James Thompson, "John Campbell,
"James Shelby, "William Cocke,
"William Buchanan, "Thomas Madison."
Several incidents are related as having taken place before and
during this battle that we here give as they have l)een preserved,
without vouching for the truth thereof. Benjamin Sharp, in a
letter published in the American Pioneer, gives an incident as oc-
curring during the battle. He says : "An Alexander Moore, a strong,
athletic, active man, by some means, got into close contact with an
Indian of nearly his own size and strength. My brother-in-law, Wil-
liam King, seeing Moore's situation, ran up to his relief, but the
Indian adroitly kept Moore in such a position that King could not
shoot him without hurting Moore. The Indian had a large knife
suspended at his belt, for the possession of which they both struggled,
Ijut at length Moore succeeded and plunged it into the Indian's
l)owels. He then broke his hold and sprang off of Moore, and King
shot him through the head."
Several historians make the statement that William Cocke, one
of the captains upon this expedition, was charged with cowardice
by a number of the militia immediately after a coimcil of the
238 Southwest Virginia, 17Jf6-1786.
officers, had decided to return to Fort Eaton instead of pursuing the
twenty Indians first discovered, and that Captain Cocke, soon after
the return march had begun for Eaton's Fort, halted the line and
delivered a speech in defence of his reputation. We cannot imagine
the reason why the charge should have been made, but from an ex-
amination of the records of the Virginia Privy Council it appears
that on December 9, 1776, the following order was entered:
"It appearing from the deposition of Thomas Madison, Esq.,
tliat there are grounds to suspect Capt. William Cocke of cowardice
in a late action with the Indians, it is therefore ordered that the
said Captain Cocke be forthwith suspended; that the Governor be
requested to write to the county lieutenant of Fincastle directing
]iim to hold a court of inquiry touching the conduct of said Captain
Cocke, and to transmit to this board a copy of the same."
I cannot ascertain what disposition was made of this charge
against Captain Cocke, but I am compelled to believe that he was
acquitted, for he was afterwards elected to the General Assembly of
-^A'irginia from Washington county, and in a few years thereafter
became one of the first United States senators from the State of
Tennessee.
The result of this victory was not only the destruction of a num-
ber of the Indian warriors and the wounding of tlieir savage chief,
Dragging Canoe, but it inspired the settlers with confidence in them-
selves and a contempt of danger from the Indians. It is said that
ever afterwards the inquiry among the white settlers when in search
of the Indians was not "how many of them are there," but "where
are they to be found ?" On the same day that the battle was fought
at the Long Island Flats another body of Indians attacked Fort
Lee at Watauga, in which fort were Capt. James Eobertson and
forty others. But the Indians were repulsed with some loss by the
fire from the fort, but for three weeks skulked around the fort,
during which time a man and a boy, who had ventured to leave the
fort, were assailed by the Indians and captured, and the man scalped
on the spot. The boy, who was a brother of Lieut. Wm. Moore,
was reserved for a worse fate, he being afterwards burned at the
stake by the Indians. Mrs. Wm. Bean, who lived on Boone's creek,
was captured by the Indians, but was subsequently released through
the influence of Nancy Ward.
^ Colonel Eussell, who was located at Fort Patrick Henry, was
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 229
ordered to go, with five companies of militia, to the relief of Fort
Lee, but he was so slow that Col. Evan Shelby raised a company of
about one hundred men in the vicinity of Wolf Hills and proceeded
to Watauga, where he found the inhabitants in their fort and the
Indians gone.
After the battle at Long Island Flats the Virginia militia re-
turned to the fort and the men dispersed to their several homes to
take care of their families and property. In the meantime all the
frontier settlements were breaking up and the settlers fleeing from
every quarter. The main road or trace was crowded with people
moving with the greatest haste to escape the invading Indians. At
the farm of Capt. Joseph Black, where Abingdon now stands, be-
tween four and five hundred people collected together to build a
fort.
The erection of Black^s Fort was begun on the 30th day of July,
1776, the same day that the battle of Long Island Flats was fought,
and the news of the victory of the settlers in that battle was received
the next day.. Upon the receipt of this news all business was sus-
pended, while the Eev. Charles Cummings offered up a prayer
of thanksgiving, in which all the people heartily joined. The defeat
of the Indians, at the Long Island did not end the trouble of the
settlers on the Holston. About the time that the battle was fought
a party of Indians came up the Clinch river burning all the prop-
erty and killing and scalping all the settlers that they could find.
Dividing themselves into small bodies, they invaded the settlements
from the lower end of what is now the present county of Sullivan,
in Tennessee, to the Seven Mile Ford, in Virginia. About the 24th
of July, 1776, Capt. James Montgomery, who had settled on the
south fork of Holston river, about eight miles from Black's Fort,
came to the fort, he and two other families having decided to defend
their own homes. He came in quest of intelligence, and was
earnestly besought by the people of the fort to bring in the families,
to which he agreed, and men and horses were sent to assist him.
This company soon returned toi the fort with the families and some
of their property, and went back to bring in the rest of the prop-
erty when, to their surprise, they found the houses plundered and in
flames. The company thereupon hastily retreated to the fort, and
spies were sent out to locate the Indians if possible, but no dis-
coveries were made for some days, when at length the spies came in
330 Southiuest Virginia, 1746-1786.
one night and reported that they had discovered a fire on the bank
of the river above Montgomery's which they supposed to be the
Indian camp.*
Upon receipt of this informaiion an express was sent to Bryan's
Fort requesting their men to meet the men from Black's Fort at a
certain place that night. The two companies met according to
agreement, and the spies conducted them to the spot where they
had seen the fire, when the Indians were surrounded from the river
below to the river above them, with strict injunctions to ,the men to
preserve a profound silence till the report of the captain's gun
should give the signal for a general discharge; and in this position
they waited for daylight. At the dawn of day, when tlie Indians
arose and began to stir about the camp, the crack of the captain's
rifle was followed by a well-directed fire from every quarter. The
Indians fled across the river, exposed all the way to the fire of the
whites. Eleven Indians lay dead at and around the camp, and the
number that fell and sank in the river is not known. The men
crossed the river and found numerous trails of blood, one of which
they followed to where an Indian had crept into a hollow log, wliom
they drew out by his feet, and, according to his request, shot him in
the head. As a result of this slaughter of Indians the settlers at
Black's Fort were greatly rejoiced, and the eleven Indian scalps
were attached to a long pole and fixed as a trophy over the fort
gates, f Several days thereafter tliree companies prepared to go out
from the fort to visit their plantations and on other missions. The
first company to leave the fort was composed of John Sharp, his t\vr,
sons, and two sons-in-law. They went early and were tmmolested.
The second company to leave the fort on that day was composed oP
Arthur Blackburn, William Casey and his sister Nancy, who was
about sixteen years of age, Eobert Harold and several others, and
about the same time a third company left the fort to' visit the hoii.-e
of Rev. Charles Cummings to bring his books and some of his prop-
erty into the fort. Both of these parties were attacked by the
Indians at the same time within hearing of the fort, where an inde-
scribable scene of disorder took place, the women and children
screaming, wives clinging to their husbands, mothers to their sons
*This oamp was on the Mahaffey farm.
fBenj. Sharp letter, published in American Pioneer. He was an occupant
of the fort at the time.
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 231
and sisters to their brothers, to prevent them from going ont of the
fort.
However, a number of them left the fort and ran to the rescue
of the companies as fast as possible, but before they arrived upon
the scene the Indians had done their work and gone. Of the second
company to leave the fort Arthur Blackburn was shot, tomahawked,
and scalped, but was found alive, broaight in, and recovered from
his wounds. Along with this same company was William Casey
and his sister Nancy, a beautiful little girl about sixteen years of
age. As Casey was running for his life to the fort he discovered
the Indians in hot pursuit of his sister, and seeing Eobert Harold,
another young man, close by, he called to him to come and help him
save Nancy. Harold obeyed, and, although there were from four
to seven Indians in pursuit, these young men rushed between them
and the girl, and by dexterously managing to fire alternately, still
keeping one gun loaded when tlie other was discharged, they kept
the Indians at bay till they gave up the pursuit and the girl was
brought in safe. The author of this account says, "Such acts of gen-
erous bravery ought at all times be held as examples to our youth."
The third company was composed of the Rev. Charles Cum-
mings, his servant Job, William Creswell, the driver, James Piper
and one other; and when they had reached a point called Piper's
Hill, they were attacked by a band of Indians, and at the first fire
William Creswell, who had taken part in the battle of Long Island
Flats, was killed and two of the other men were wounded, James
Piper having his finger shot off, but the Rev. Charles Cummings,
with the remaining man, and his servant Job, held the Indians
at bay until he obtained help from Black's Fort, when he brought
off the wounded men in safety. William Creswell was buried near
the Presbyterian church, now Sinking Spring Cemetery, where his
grave may be seen at this day marked by a rude tombstone. An
exact reproduction of the inscription thereon is here given :
William Creswell
entered this place
July, 1776.
It has been stated that this is the oldest known grave in this sec-
tion, but such is not the fact. Poston's graveyard is situated on a
high knob in close proximity to the falls of the north fork of Holston
232 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
river, in this county, and in the graveyard is found a grave marked
by a iimestone rock upon which is inscribed, "Mary Boyd, died Feby.
17, 1773, aged 3 years. Alexander Boyd's child." Tradition says
that this death occurred by the capsizing of Boyd's boat in passing
over the falls, Boyd at the time emigrating to the extreme frontiers.
From the period that Mr. Cummings commenced preaching in
the Holston settlements up to the time of this attack the men never
went to church without being armed and taking their families with
them. On Sabbath morning during most of this period it was the
custom of Mr. Cummings to dress himself neatly, put on his shot
pouch, shoulder his rifle, mount his horse and ride off to church,
where he met his gallant and intelligent congregation, each man
with his rifle in his hand. The minister would then enter the
church, walk gravely through the crowd, ascend the pulpit, deposit
his rifle in a corner of it, lay off his shot pouch, and commence the
solemn services of the day.*
The Eev. Charles Cummings was what would be termed in
our day " a fighting parson." Immediately after the occurrence*
above stated Mr. Cummings and about one hundred of his parishion-
ers, under the command of Evan Shelby, hurried to the relief of
the Watauga settlers who were besieged by the Indians in Fort Lee,
and he accompanied Col. William Christian on his expedition against
the Cherokee Indians in the fall of this year, preaching at different
points in East Tennessee to settlers and soldiers whenever the oppor-
tunity offered itself, he being the first minister of the gospel to de-
liver the message of peace in the boundaries of the present State
of Tennessee. In the year 1776 the ground now occupied by Martha
Washington College and Stonewall Jackson Institute was a dense
chinquapin thicket, and the lands between the thicket and Black's
Fort were cultivated in flax. During the summer of the year
1776 two men and three women were pulling flax near the fort
with Frederick Mongle stationed as sentinel to give the alarm
should the Indians make their appearance. The Indians, who had
hidden themselves in the bushes above referred to, quietly ap-
proached and wounded and scalped Mr. Mongle, but the other
persons reached the fort in safety by dodging from tree to tree.
The men from the fort came at once to the rescue, and, attacking
Governor David Campbell's MSS.
Southwest Virginia, 174-6-1786. 333
the Indians, drove . them off. Mr. Mongle soon died from his
wounds, and his relatives claim that his grave, and not William
Creswell's, was the first made in Sinking Spring Cemetery. But
this contention cannot be correct, for Mongle was not killed until
several weeks after the death of William Creswell.
During the summer several murders were committed by the
Indians. Two men, who had gone out to bring up their horses,
were killed almost in sight of a neighboring fort, and of the two men
who went with an express from Fort Black one was killed and the
other made his escape.
As a result of the trouble with the Indians Col. Wm. Chris-
tian, Capt. Wm. Campbell, and Capt. Wm. Eussell returned to
their homes from the regular continental army to assist in the
defence of their homes from the combined attacks of the British
and Indians. The Governor of Virginia at this time directed Col.
AVm. Fleming, of Botetourt county, to dispatch a body of the
militia of that county to the frontiers of Fincastle county for the
protection of the inhabitants, and pursuant to this order Capt.
Thomas Eowland was dispatched with his^company to the fron-
tiers. The following is a complete list of Captain Eowland's com-
pany:
Capt. Thomas Eowland, William Kyles,
Henry Cartmill, Martin McFattin,
Martin Baker, James Esprey,
John Wood, Samuel McFarrin,
Thomas Bowyer, George Eutledge,
James Leatherdale, William Calbert,
John Crawford, Edward Carbin,
David WaUace, Samuel M'Eoberts,
James Bryant, Thomas Peage,
William Bryant, Stephen Holston,
Eobert Feely, William Henry,
Elijah Vinsant, George Givens,
John Moor, James Cloyd,
Thomas Eagnew, Isaac Lawrence,
Isaac Eichardson, William Wills,
James Nicholas, James McQuown,
William Crawford, James Eobinson,
234 Sbuthtvest Virginia, 1746-1786.
James Alcorn, William Kichey,
George Tlutchinson Joseph Kyles,
(B-otetourt parish), Samuel McChire,
Rev. Adam Smyth, pastor, Patrick Lockliait,
William Astin, John Mills,
W^illiam Leatherdale, Henry Smith,
Eobert Woods, James Gaunt,
Edward Guilford, Joseph Carrol,
Joseph Bryant, John Jones,
William McFarrin, Henry Walker,
Jacob Kimberland, John Burks,
Robert Birdswell, Thomas Arbuekle,
Thomas Howell, David Lawrence,
\ Samuel Blair, Patrick Lawrence,
David Harbinson, John Frager,
Jonathan Wood, William Ross.
Joseph Titus,
This expedition accomplished nothing of value. This muster
roll is given as a matter of information to the many descendants
of these men who are now living in this county.
In the year 1776, at the time of the battle of Long Island Flats,
a man by the name of Lewis, with his wife and seven children,
lived in the bounds of the present county of Scott. He was
informed by Captain John Redd, that the Indians had declared war
and were on the warpath, and was advised to move into the settle-
ments, but he swore that he was in no danger, the Indians would
never find him, but, soon thereafter, the Indians visited his home
and killed and scalped Lewis, his wife and seven children. Among
the extreme settlers who left their homes and returned to the set-
tlements, was a man by the name of Ambrose Fletcher, whose fam-
ily consisted of himself, his wife and two children. Fletcher had
settled at Martin's Fort in Powell's Valley, and fled from that
point to Blackmore's Foxt, on Cove creek, now in Scott county, ■
Virginia. He and his family remained in Blackmore's Fort for
a few days, wben, the fort becoming very much crowded, Fletcher
built a small cabin, about thirty or forty yards back of the fort,
and moved into it. Sliortly afterwards, Fletcher left his home to
go to a canebrake to get his horse, and, on returning, he found his
wife and two children tomahawked and scalped.
Southwest Virginia, 17Ji6-1786. 235
At this time the following forts were to be found on the waters
of the Holston and Clinch, so far as I can ascertain :
Thompson's Fort, located on the farm now owned by Huff Bros.
Edmiston's Fort, located on Snodgrass's farm at Lodi, Va.
Bryan's Fort, located at Kendrick's Mill.
Black's Fort, located at Abingdon, Virginia.
Cocke's Fort, located on Clyce Farm on Spring creek.
Bledsoe's Fort, located .
Shelby's Fort, located Bristol.
Eaton's Fort, located seven miles east of Long Island.
Fort Patrick Henry, located at Long Island.
Fort Lee, located, at Watauga.
Gillespie's Fort, located .
Womack's Fort, located, near Bluff City, Tennessee.
Martin's Fort, located in Powell's Valley.
Priest's Fort, located in Powell's Valley.
Mumps' Fort, located in Powell's Valley.
Rye Cove Fort, located .
Blackmore's Fort, located Cove creek.
Glade Hollow Fort, located in Russell county.
Hamlin's Fort, located near Castle's Woods.
Elk Garden Fort, located Russell county.
Fort Bowen, located at Maiden Spring.
Wynne's Fort, located Tazewell county, Wynne's branch.
Crab Orchard Fort, located Tazewell county.
At the same time that the Virginia settlements were suffering
from the invasion of the Indians, North Carolina, South Carolina
and Georgia, were experiencing like invasions. These four fron-
tier colonies decided to invade the Indian country and bring
them to their senses, by destroying their towns and chastising their
warriors. The Cherokee Indians occupied that vast country north
of the upper settlements in Georgia and west of the settlements in
North and South Carolina and Southwest Virginia. Their coun-
try was divided into three sections, and the number -of the warriors
in each was as follows:
Middle Settlements and Valleys 878
In Lower Towns 356
In Over-Hill Towns 757
Total 1,991
236 Southwest Virginia, nJf6-n86.
The Georgia militia, under tlie command of Colonel McBury and
Major Jack, invaded the Indian settlements on the Tugalo river,
routed the Indians and destroj^ed all their towns. The militia: of
South Carolina, being about 1150 men, under the command of
General Williamson, in the early days of August, marched into
the Indian settlements and met and defeated, at Oconoree, Alex-
ander Cameron, who was in command of a large body of Indians
and white men. They burned a number of Indian towns and
returned to their homes. The militia of the State of North Caro-
lina, numbering about 2,000 men, under the command of General
Eutherford, marched into the middle settlements and valleys,
about the same time. Upon the approach of this army, the Indians
fled. Their towns were burned, to the number of thirty or forty,
and these troops returned to North Carolina. While the troops of
the States of Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina were
invading the middle settlements and lower towns of the Cherokees,
the Virginia authorities were making every preparation to invade
the over-hill towns.
On the 22d of July, 1776, the Virginia Council received a letter
from President Eutledge, of South Carolina, informing them that
hostilities had been commenced by the Cherokee Indians, and that
Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina had agreed to set
on foot an expedition against the lower towns and middle settle-
ments at once, and requesting the cooperation of Virginia, asking
that she carry war into the upper or over-hill t/owns. Thereupon,
the council directed Colonel Charles Lewis to march immediately,
with his battalion of minute men, to the frontiers. Upon the
receipt of this order Colonel Lewis immediately marched his bat-
talion of troops to the vicinity of New river in Fincastle county,
where it was ascertained that a number of his men were unfit for
an Indian expedition ; whereupon, he was directed to discharge all
such and to recruit others in their stead.
On the first day of August, 1776, the Virginia Council ordered
that a commission issue appointing William Christian, Esq., colonel
of the first battalion and commander-in-chief of all the forces
raised for nse in the expedition against the Cherokee Indians. It
was decided to send two battalions of troops upon this expedition,
which were officered as follows:
Commander-in-chief, William Christian.
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
287
Colonel, first battalion, William Christian.
Major, first battalion, Evan Shelby.
Surgeon, first battalion, Joseph Starke.
Colonel, second l^attalion, Charles Lewis.
Surgeon, second battalion, George Hart.
Captain James Thompson and his company formed the life
guard of Colonel Christian, the commander-in-chief, upon this
expedition.
The folloAving captains, with their companies, accampanied thia
expedition against tlie (Jheiokee Indians, so far as 1 can ascertain:
Captain John Campbell,
Captain William Russell,
Captain Eobert Boggs,
Captain John Sevier,
Captain James Thompson,
Captain Isaac Bledsoe,
Captain John Momtgomery,
Captain Daniel Smith,
Captain Aaron Lewis,
Captain Jacob Womack,
Captain William Cocke,
Captain Benjamin Gray,
Captain William Preston,
Captain Thomas Madison.
Captain Thomas Madison was appointed commissary and pay-
master upon this expedition.
But little is known of the participants in this expedition. I have,
therefore, gathered the names of the privates who took part in. this
expedition, as far as I can obtain them. Their names are as
follows :
llobert, Campbell,
Thomas Hobbs, wounded.
Thomas Berry, wounded.
Christopher Watson,
Matthew Allison,
John Finley,
Andrew Wallace,
Humphrey Higgins,
James Sawyers,
William Crawford,
James Buford,
Joshua Eenfro,
William Hogart,
Ephraim Dunlap,
Michael Ocheltree,
Benjamin Thomas,
John Wood,
Eobert Finley,
William WiUs,
Jacob Gardner,
Samuel Ewing,
George Caldwell,
Jacob Early,
James Berry,
Henley Moore,
Jacob Anderson,
John Adair,
James Robinson,
238
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
William Hicks,
David Getgood,
Samuel Gay,
Isaac Eiddle,
David Smith,
Edward Eoss,
Gideon Farris,
Jesse Womack,
John Furnham,
William Frogg,
William Milnm,
Lance Woodward,
Francis Katherine,
Daniel Henderson,
Amos Eaton,
David Ro'unceval,
Samuel Douglas, wounded
Duncan, killed;
George Berry, wounded;
John Reburn,
Abraham Crabtree,
David McKenzie,
Christopher Irwin,
John Cochran,
James Young,
William Meade,
David Wallace,
Stephen Holston,
Patrick Murphy,
Isbon Talbert,
James Campbell,
: Matthew Scott,
Thomas Logwood,
Robert Preston,
Robert Campbell,
Jacob Cogor,
Daniel Kidd,
John Goff,
Cuthbert Jones,
Samuel Campbell,
William Markland,
Joseph McCormick,
James McCockle,
Joseph Russell,
Jonathan Martin, -
Gideon Morris,
William Ingram,
Robert Stewart,
James Berry,
Daniel Smith,
William Haynes,
John McClanahan,
John Phelps,
Abraham McClanahan,
James Arnold,
Hanrist Carlock,
Andrew Little,
Thomas Berry,
John Latham,
William Ramsay,
James Bradley,
Lambert Lame,
John Rice,
Joab Springer,
Onsbey Carney,
John Crane,
Benjamin Drake,
Benjamin Rice,
David Irwin,
George Miller,
Thomas Ramsay,
Thomas Fowler,
Thomas Smith,
George Coon,
William Rice,
Isaac Rounceval,
James M'Farland,
William Ross,
Southwest Virginia^ 1746-1786.
339
Philip Love,
David English,
James Tuttle,
Meredy Eeins,
Michael Gleaves,
Christian Shiiltz,
Samuel Ingram,
James Newell,
William Bennett,
Tittleton Brooks,
Michael Eowland,
William Mitchell,
William Eice,
Philip Williams,
James Harris,
Arthur Onsbey,
William Nettles,
John Harris, Jr.,
William Lane,
David Hunter,
Michael Ohair,
John Walker,
Ebenezer Meads,
Samuel Campbell,
Francis Hamilton,
^ James Daugherty,
Frederick Fraily,
William Edmiston,
David Carson,
James M'Cain,
James Steel,
Eobert Gambell,
Daniel M'Cormack,
Jonathan Jennings,
George Parker,
William Peoples,
Valentine Little,
Samuel Fair,
Alexander Butler,
William Brown,
Tjeonard Helm,
James Greer,
Samuel Ewin,
Eichard Thomas,
Eobert Stephenson,
Eobert M'Elheney,
Isaac Thomas,
John Craig,
Adam Brausteter,
Michael Dougherty,
James M'Carthy,
William Henson,
Charles Eice,
Jesse Henson,
Jonathan Mulhey,
Moses Winters,
John Harris, Sr.,
James Beets,
John M'Farland,
Nicholas Edwards,
James Kelley,
James Eichardson,
James Hamilton,
George Newland,
James Williams,
Henry Whitner,
Henry Eichardson,
John Muldrough,
Michael Francisco,
James Mason,
Solomon Kendrick,
William White,
Charles Cocke,
John Craig,
Eobert McNutt,
Jacob Steams,
John Simpson,
Thomas Price,
240
Southwest Virginia, 17^6-1786.
Peter Haff,
Henry Rice,
William Lane,
Philip Mulhey, Sr.,
I^ewis Crane,
Isaac Lindsay,-
Samuel Martin,
James M'Clern,
James Smith,
Lewis Whitner,
William Calvert,
Samuel Eason,
James M'Donald,
Samuel Montgomery,
William Carr,
John Gibson,
James Walker,
Philip Mulhey, Jr., >
Andrew Cowan,
John Adair,
James Cameron,
George Scott, •
Joseph Perrin
Nicholas Edwards,
John Hounshel,
Adam Brausteter,
James Doran,
George Caldwell,
Jeremiah Rush,
Robert Hardwicke,
Joseph M'Reynolds,
Benjamin Logan,
Robert Cowden,
Andrew Irwin,
John Gordon,
Thomas Goldsby,
Peter Tnrney,
Anthony Bledsoe,
John Walker,
Evan Williams,
Edward Piggett,
Jacob Vance.
On the 26th day of July, 1776, the Honorable Cornelius Har-
nett, president of the Council of Safety of North Carolina, informed
the Virginia Council that the Cherokees entertained the design of
cutting off the persons employed at the Lead Mines, whereupon, the
Council ordered William Preston, the county lieutenant of Fincastlo
county, to raise, at once, a stockade fort for the defence of said
mines and to garrison the same with a force of twenty-five men.
On the first day of August, 1776, the Virginia Council gave the
following instructions to William Christian, commander-in-chief,
and Colonel Charles Lewis, in command of the second battalion,
of the forces in the expedition against the Cherokees.
"When your battalion and the battalion under Colonel Charles
Lewis are completed, you are to march with them and the forces
under the command of Colonel Russell, and such others as may join
you from Carolina, into the Cherokee country, if these forces shall
be judged sufficient for the purpose of severely chastising that cruel
and perfidious nation, which you are to do in a manner most likely
to put a stop to' future insults and ravages and that may redound
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 241
most to the honor of American arms. If the Indians should be
reduced to the necessity of suing for peace, you must take care to
demand of them a sufficient number of their chiefs and warriors as
hostages, for the performance of the conditions you may require of
them. You must insist on their delivering up all prisoners who
may choose to leave them and on their giving up to justice all per-
sons amongst them who have been concerned in bringing on the
present war, particularly Stuart, Cameron and Gist, and all others
whO' have committed murder or robberies on our frontiers. You
may require any other terms which the situation of affairs may
point out and you may judge necessary for the safety and honor of
the Commonwealth. You must endeavor to communicate with the
commanding officer of the Carolina forces and cooperate with him,
making the attack as near the time of his as may be.
You are from time to time to write His Excellency the Governor,
giving him a full account of your operations, and requiring his
further instructions. Instructions to Colonel Charles Lewis of the
second battalion of minute men: You are to order the captains
under your command to march their companies to their respective
counties, then to discharge such of their men as are not properly
qualified to serve on an expedition against the Indians, and to raise
with all possible dispatch in their stead the best recruits that can
be found for the service, and, having so completed their companies,
to repair to the Big Island on Holston river in Fincastle county, the
place of general rendezvous."
And, on the 6th day of August, 1776, the Virginia Council
directed tlie keeper of the magazine to forward to Colonel William
Christian 1,000 poimds of powder, two flints to be used on this
expedition.
It required some time to organize and equip the forces intended
to proceed against the Cherokee Indians, which work was carried
on with the greatest possible expedition, until the first week in Sep-
tember.
FINCASTLE COUNTY OEGANIZED UNDER THE STATE
CONSTITUTION.
The first county court of Fincastle county, under the Constitution
of the Commonwealth of Virginia, assembled at the Lead Mines,
(now in Wythe county), on September 3, 1776, at which time the
242 Southwest Virginia, 174G-1786.
following members of the county court and officers of Fincastle
county qualified by taking the oatli prescribed by an ordinance of
the Virginia Convention, which oath was administered by James
McGavock and Arthur Campbell.
MEMBEES OF TPIE COUNTY COUET:
William Preston, Arthur Campbell,
James McGavock, John Montgomery,
James McCorkle.
Sheriff, William Preston, appointed by the court.
Deputy Sheriff, William Sayers,
Deputy Clerk, Stephen Trigg,
County-Lieutenant, William Preston.
Attorney-at-Law, Harry Innes.
But little business of importance was transacted at this term of
the court, so far as the records that have been preserved show.
Thus began the first organized government under the Constitu-
tion of Virginia, in Fincastle county.
In the month of September, 1776, that portion of the troops under
the command of Colonel William Eussell began their march to the
Great Island of the Holston, at which time Anthony Bledsoe entered
two wagons in the public service, to convey the baggage and pro-
vision of the troops. This circumstance is mentioned, for the rea-
son that this was the first time, as far as can be ascertained, that
a wagon was taken by tlie white man, as low down as the Long
Island in Holston.
When Colonel Eussell reached the Long Island, he thought it
necessary to erect a fort in a field on the land of John Latham, on
Long Island, which fort was speedily erected and every preparation
made for the coming of the troops under command of Colonel Chris-
tian. A company of militia was enrolled at Black's Fort (now
Abingdon), and taken into the pay of the government, to guard
the new fort, called Fort Patrick Henry, at Long Island, and to
guard the provision and baggage wagons going to and returning
from that fort. By the first day of October, Colonel Christian, with
his entire army of 2,000 men, including about 400 men from North
Carolina under command of Colonel Joseph Williams, Colonel Love
and Major Winston, arrived at Long Island. When the army had
proceeded about six miles beyond Long Island, Colonel Christian
Southwest Virginia, 174G-1780. 243
halted his unny and offered a reward of one hundred pounds to
an}' pei'son or persons who woukl proceed to the Cherokee towns and
bring liini a prisoner, in order to obtain intelligence of the motions
of the enemy; whereupon, 8amnel Ewing, John Blankenship and
James jMcCall undertook the business, and in a few days entered
the town of To(pio, after crossing the Tennessee river, where they
met an Indian man on horseback, whom they permitted to escape,
lest it might occasion a discovery. They next visited the house of a
Iving's man by the name of LowTy, where they were refused admit-
tance. They then proceeded to the house of one Davis^ from whom
tliey ol)tained intelligence of the designs of the enemy, when they
I'eturned to the army and gave a true account of the situation of
affairs in the Indian country, according to their information, and
they were paid by the General Assembly of Virginia the one hun-
dred pounds, pursuant to the agreement of Colonel Christian.
Upon the receipt of this information. Colonel Christian and his
army proceeded, in a very cautious manner, on their march to the
Tennessee, always encamping, at night, behind brea.stworks, to pre-
vent a surprise.
Colonel John Sevier commanded, upon this expedition, a com-
])any of horse, the rest of tlie army being infantry. Sixteen spies
were sent in advance of the army to the crossing of the French
Broad ri^er, a point where the Indians said the white men should
never cro^ss. After being several days out, Alexander Harlin came
into camp and told Colonel Christian that 3,000 Indian warriors
were awaiting his arrival at the crossing of the French Broad. Col-
onel Christian permitted him to go through the camp and to observe
the strengtli of his army, when he was dismissed by Colonel Chris-
tian, with direction tO' inform the Indians of his determination to
cross, not only the French Broad, but the Tennessee river, before he
returned. The army continued its march through the wilderness,
under direction of Isaac Thomas, the noted Indian trader and friend
of Nancy Ward, as pilot. When they approached the crossing of
the French Broad river, a king's man by the name of Fallin
approached the camp with a flag of truce, to which Colonel Christian
paid no attention, permitting Fallin to pass through the camp unmo-
lested, that he might observe the strength of Christian's army. It is
said that the Indians had gathered on the opposite side of this cross-
ing determined to defend its passage to the last extremity, when a
244 Southiuest Virginia, 17J,6-178G.
white man by the name of Starr, in the absence of Fallin, persuaded
the Indians that it was folly to resist the invasion of the whites.
In an earnest harangue, he told them it was folly to contend with
the white man. That the Great Spirit intended he should over-
run and occupy all the low lands which should be cultivated. To
the red man he had given the hills and forests, where he might sub-
sist on game without tilling the soil, which was work fit only for
woiuen. To struggle with the white man was, therefore, to fight
with destiny. The only safety for the Indians lay in a speedy retreat
to their mountain fastnesses."*
From some cause the Indians disbanded and dispersed without
offering any resistance to the white men. Colonel Christian and
his army crossed tJie river and pressed rapidly forward to the Chero-
kee towns along the Little Tennessee and Telico, every one of whicli
was destroyed, except Chota, the home of Nancy Ward, the beloved
woman of the Indian tribe and the friend of the white man; and
Colonel Christian destroyed all grain, cattle and other provisions
found in the nation. When Colonel Christian had destroyed the
towns and property of the Indians and had chastised them as far
as it was possible to do so, he sent out a number of men with flags
of truce, and requested a talk with the Chiefs. A number of them
came in immediately and proposed peace. Colonel Christian told
them he was willing to grant them peace, but not until the tribe was
fully represented, and, thereupon. Colonel Christian fixed a day for
the concluding of peace in' the following May, at Long Island in
Holston river, and, in the meantime, hostilities were to cease except
as to two to\\Tis on the Tennessee river, where young Moore, who
had been captured at Watauga, had been burned at the stake ; which
proposition was accepted. Colonel John Sevier, thereupon, visited
the towns in question and left the same in ashes.
Colonel Christian finding nothing further to engage his attention,
returned with his army to the liOng Island in Holston river. This
campaign lasted three months, and but a single white man was
killed. This w^as a man whose name was Duncan, a soldier under
Captain Jacob Womack. He was killed in an engagement with the
Indians. This man left a wife (she was a cripple), and five small
children, to whom the General Assembly of Virginia, on June Ifi,
1777, allowed the sum of twenty pounds for their present relief and
*Rear Guard of the Revolution, p. 126.
Southivest Virginia, 17^6-1786. 245
the further sum of five pounds per annum, for the period of five
years, with directions to Anthony Bledsoe and William Cocke, to lay
out and expend the same for the support and maintenance of Eliza-
beth Duncan and her children. Several white men were slightly
wounded by the Indians and by accident, upon this expedition,
among the number being Samuel Douglas, Thomas Berry and
George Berry, Jr.
Upon the return of the army to the Long Island of the Holston,
Colonel Christian reorganized the same, and, for the protection of
the frontiers, left six hundred men at the island under the command
of Colonel Evan Shelby and Major Anthony Bledsoe.
The General Assembly of Virginia directed the Governor and
Council to take such measures for the preservation and disposition
of the horses and provision belonging to the government and in use
upon this expedition as should appear to be most proper and con-
ducive to the interest of the country. And, by the same act, the
Governor and Council were directed to give instructions to the com-
manding officer of the army destined against the Cherokees, to
take such steps, at the end of the campaign, as were thonght neces-
sary for the future safety and protection of the southwestern fron-
tier of this State. Whereupon the Governor and Council of Virginia
directed Captain Thomas Madison tO' take the necessary steps to col-
lect all the cattle and horses on hand upon the return of the army
from this expedition, and to take care of them, whereupon Captain
Madison employed:
William Carmack, John Delaney,
Stephen Eichards, TMatthew Dean,
John Fulkerson, Cornelius Carmack,
Andrew Greer, Joseph Greer,
John Nash, Samuel Looney,
Peter Looney, William McBroom,
John Cox, John Carmack,
Jonathan Drake, Ezekiel Smith,
Henry Hickey, Isaac Drake,
Hugh Blair, Benjamin Drake,
to herd and take care of the country cattle, from the 13th day of
November, 1776, to the 11th day of June, 1777. And Colonel
Christian, pursuant to the directions of the Governor and Council,
stationed the six hundred men as above detailed at Long Island,
246 Southwest Virginia, 1740-1786.
and directed Captaioi Joseph Martin tO' proceed to the Eye Gove
Fort, about fifty miles from North Fork of the Clinch river, with
eighty men. The rest of the army were mnstered out of service.
Captain Martin immiHliately l)egan the march to the Rye Cove.
Upon this march he had to pass through a very dangerous gap,
called Little IMocca^in, where the trail went through a very nar-
row and deep gorge of the mountain and where the Indians had
killed a great many white people. When Captain Martin began
the march through the gap, he had his men in fine order and
strung out in smgle file. Just as the head of the column
emerged from the narrow defile, the whole column was fired upon
by Indians from the top of the ridge, where they were strung out
in a line as long as Captain Martin's. As soon as the Indians
fired, they ran off, having failed to kill any of Martin's men
But one man, James Bunch, a member of Martin's company,
had five balls shot through his flesh, whereby he was rendered
incapable of getting a livelihood hy labor, and was allowed by
the General Assembly of Virginia thirty pounds for his pres-
ent relief and half pay as a soldier for three years.
The Indians liaving all fled, Captain Martin proceeded to Eye
Cove, where he remained until the first of May, 1777, when he
was ordered back to the Long Island, where he remained until
the treaty of peace was concluded between the Indians and the
whites on July the first.
In December of the year 1776, the commanding officer at
Fort Patrick Henry dispatched Samuel Newell and another per-
son tO' the Cherokee town for the Indian chief, the Eaven of
Chote. Upon their return trip they were accompanied by the
Indian chief.
A short time thereafter, in the month pf January, 1777,
Samuel Newell was again ordered to tlie Indian town, Chote,
Avith letters in regard to a family that liad been murdered near
Fort Patrick Henry. AVhile on, his way to the town of Toquo,
he was tomahawked l)y the Indians and scalped, and soon there-
after died in the town of Chote. His horse, gun, saddle and
bridle, saddle-bags and clotlies were carried off by the Indians,
who murdered him.
A number of the citizens of Fincastle county potitioned the
General Assembly of Virginia for compensation for pasturage
Southwest Virginia, 1746-178G. 347
taken and the provisions nsed by Colonel Oliristian upon this
expedition, among the number so petitioning being
Amos Eaton, John Latham,
James Kincannon Evan Shelby,
David Getgood, ±\hel Eichardson,
John Beatie, James McGavock,
AVilliam Sayers, James Aylett,
Ephraim Dunlop, Robert Barnett,
William Cocke,
The General Assembly of Virginia at its fall sassion in 1776,
allowed Isaac Thomas, the faithful friend of the white settlers,
one hundred pounds as a reward for the services he had rendered
the settlers by giving them information of the intended incur-
sions of the Indians, and paid him for the stock and property
lost at the time of the outbreak ol the Indian war.
The Governor and Council of Virginia directed that for the
purpose of concluding a treaty of peace between the Indians and
the Commonwealth of Virginia a convention should be held at
tlie Long Island of Holston, in the month of May, 1777, and
appointed Colonel William Christian, Colonel William' Preston
and Major Evan Shelby to act as the Virginia commissioners at
said convention. The Governor and Council of ISTorth Carolina
appointed Waightstill x\very, Joseph Winston and Eobert
Lanier, commissioners upon the part of North Carolina at said
convention. The commissioners of the two States met the Indian
chiefs, who had been assembled through the efforts of Nathaniel
Gist, at the Long Island in May, 1777, and drafted a treaty,
which treaty was submitted to the Goivernor and Oouncil of
Virginia on May 28, 1777, at which time the Council entered
the following orders :
"Having referred to the Governor of this board to direct a
treaty l>egun with the Cherokee Indians in such manner as they
think best,
"Eesolved, That the Governor be desired to confer with the
C*herokee chiefs and warriors, from time to time during their
said meeting, on the subject of all disputes now subsisting
between them and this State, and in regard to the treaty of peace
now under consideration, and if he receive any proposals to
248 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
make a good and proper answer to them, preparatory to com-
pletion, the conference to be held at the Great Island on twO'
days next month, and this board will attend at such conference
as may be appointed, and that Dr. Walker and Colonel Christian
1)0 desired to provide from the public store, or, in their place,
proper presents to be made to the Indians now here and consider
what is necessary to provide for the Indians at the next meeting
at the Great Island.
"Adjourned at 10 o'clock.
- ''Jolm Page, Tho. Walker,
"Dudley Diggs, Nathaniel Harrison,
"John Blair, David Jamison,
"Bartho Dandridge.
"Colonel William Christian, one of the commissioners ap-
pointed on behalf of this State to form a treaty of peace with
the Cherokee Indians, having attended this board with the pro-
ceedings of himself and the other commissioners at a treaty held
at the Great Island, in consequence of their former instructions,
upon considering the same the board entirely appro^ved thereof,
and think it necessary that the same should be laid before the
General Assembly, which the Governor is desired to do, and Col-
onel William Christian having also iniormed the board that
several of the chiefs and warrioTS of said nation of Indians will
accompany him to Williamsburg, resolved that they be received
and treated in the most friendly manner and furnished with all
necessaries until the General Assembly shall give further direc-
tions in the matter."
This treaty was not concluded until the first day of July, 1777.
By this treaty a new boundary line was established between the
settlers and the Indians. The boundaries as fixed by this treaty
extended as far down as the mouth of Cloud's creek. This treaty
was signed by all the Indian chiefs except Dragging Canoe, who
was woimded at the battle of Long Island Flats. He said "that he
would hold fast to the talks of Cameron the British agent and
continue the war as before." While the treaty was being nego-
tiated two men were murdered on the Clinch river by Dragging
Canoe and some of his men, and conduct of this character was
continued for many years on the part of Dragging Canoe and the
Chickamauga Indians.
Southwest Virginia, 17JfG-1786. 249
While this treaty was being negotiated a great many Indians,
with their squaws and children, had collected and were quartered
in the island, surrounded by a guard to prevent improper inter-
course with the whites, but, notwithstanding this precaut^ion,
some abandoned fellow shot across the river and killed an Indian.
This produced great confusion; the Indians thought they were
betrayed and prepared to fly, and it was with much exertion that
the officers and commissioners pacified and convinced them that
such was not the fact. Afterwards, when the Council met, the
Raven opened the conference on the part of his people by a speech
in which he reverted to the case of the murdered Indian. He
said, "lest that unhappy affair should disturb the harmony and
sincerity that ought to exist at that time between the white and
red brethren, each party ought to view it as having happened so
long ago, that if, when the Indian was buried, an acorn had been
thrown into his grave, it would have sprouted and grown and
become a lofty spreading oak, sufficiently large for them to sit
under its shade and hold their talk.
This speech was thought by many to be equal to anything in
the celebrated speech of Logan.
From the fall of 1775 to the close of the Eevolutionary war,
the settlers in this part of Virginia were compelled to occupy
their forts from early spring until late in the fall, as their settle-
ments were constantly visited by bands of Cherokee and Shaw-
nese Indians sent upon them by the British agents, but the settle-
ments enjoyed perfect freedom from the Indians from the first
appearance of winter until the return of spring. During this
interval of time the Indians were deterred from making raids
into the settlements, by the great danger of detection in conse-
quence of the nakedness of the trees, by the danger of being
traced by their tracks in the snow, and by the suffering pro-
duced by exposure to cold while traveling and lying in wait. The
settlers took advantage of this immunity from attacks by the
Indians, cleared their lands, built their houses and made everv
possible preparation for their crops during the coming season.
During the summer of 1776, elections were held throughout
the Commonwealth for members of the House of Delegates and
the Senate under the new Constitution. At this election the fol-
lowing persons were elected members of the House of Delegates
850 So'ulliwcfit Virginia, ] 746-] 786.
From Fincat^tle county : Arthur Campbell and William Eussell.
And the member of the Senate from Botetourt and Fincastle,
I hat being the Tenth Senatorial District, was Colonel William
Christian.
By an ordinance of the convention of 1775, adopted July 15,
1775, the Western District ^9.f Virginia, of which Fincastle county
'vas a part, was required^ to furnish sixty-eight expert .riflemen
for the regidar service.
And by an Act of the Asseml^ly of Virginia adopted in Octo-
l)er, 1776, a requisitioii of seventy-four men was made upon tlie
:uithorities of Fincastle county to be officered by a captain a})-
[)ointed by the Governor.
A First Lieutenant,
A Second Lieutenant,
and an Ensign.
The officers of the company organized in Fincastle county for
the continental service in the year 177{) cannot be ascertained,
save in one instance. «
John Buchanan was lieutenant of this company at its organ-
ization, and was a lieutenant in the Seventh Eegiment in the fall
of the same year, and remained in the service until killed in the
year 1777.
At a meeting of the General Asseml)ly of Virginia, in the fall
of the year 1770, a petition from the inhal)itants of the western
parts of Fincastle county was presented to the House and read ;
setting forth that they 1)ecame adventurers in that ])art of the
county in the year 1774, and were obliged by the incursions of
the Indians to abandon their settlements, after having discovered
and explored the coiintry ; that others afterwards became adven-
turers and claimed the lands liy warrants from Lord Dunmore,
under the royal proclamation of 17(53, and a company of men
from ISToTth Carolina purchased, or pretended to purchase, from
tlie Cherokee Indians, all the lands from the soaithernmost waters
of Cum'berland river to the banks of the Louisa river, including
the lands in Powell's Valley, by virtue of which purchase they
styled themselves the absolute proprietoi-s of the new independent
Trans3dvania ; that officers, both civil and military, are appointed,
writs of election issued, assemblies convened, a land office opened,
and lands sold at an exorl)itant price, and a system of policy
Southtvest Virginia, 17J^6-17S6. 251
introduced, not agreeing with that lately adopted b}' the late
United Colonies, and that they have the greatest reason tO' ques-
tion the validity of the purchase aforesaid; that they consider
themselves and the said lands to be in the State of Virginia,
whose legislature they acknowledge, and to which State they con-
ceive they justly belong; that having assembled together after
due notice, they elected two members to represent them in this
House, and hope they may be received as their delegates; that
they are ready and willing, to the utmost of their abilities, to
assist in the support of the present laudable cause, by contri])ut-
ing their quota of men and moneys, and that in order to pre-
serve goO'd order, tliey had, as was done in West Augusta, elected
a committee consisting of twenty-one members, and cheerfully
submitted the case to the House. This petition of the inhabi-
tants of that part of Fincastle county, now included within the
State of Kentucky, was accompanied by petitions from nearly
all the settlers on the Holston and Clinch rivers, and was pre-
sented to the General Assembly on the eighth day of October,
1776, and the General Assembly on Friday, October 11, 1776,
adopted the folloMdng resolutions :
"Eesolved, That the inhabitants of the western part of Fincas-
tle county not being allowed by the law a distinct representation
in the General Assembly, the delegates chosen to represent them
in this House cannot be admitted. At the same time the com-
mittee are of opinion, that the said inha])itants ought to be
formed into a distinct county, in order to entitle them to sucli
representation and other l)enefits ot government."
The petition for the division of Fincastle county was referred /
to a committee of which Carter Braxton was chairman, whicli '
committee, through its chairman, on Tuesday, October 15, 1776,
presented a bill foT the division of the county of Fincastle into
two distinct counties, which bill was read the first time and
ordered to be read the second time. On Wednesday, October 16,
1776, this bill was read a second time and was committed to
Thomas Jefferson and the members from Augusta and Botetourt
counties, and on October 17, 1776, Mr. Jefferson, from the com-
mittee to whom the bill for dividing the county of Fincastle into
two distinct counties was committed, reported that the com-
mittee had gone through the bill and made several amendments
252 Southwest Virginia, 17Jf6-1786.
thereto, which he read in his place, and afterwards delivered in
at the clerk's table, where the same was again twice read and
agreed to and ordered to be engrossed and read a third time.
And, on Wednesday, October 30, 177G, this bill was ordered to be
committed to Mr. Jefferson, Mr. SimnLS, Mr. Bullitt and the
members from Fincastle, Augusta and Botetourt counties, and on
November 19, 177G, Mr. Mason and the members from Frederick,
Hampshire and Bedford counties were added to the committee,
to whom the bill for dividing the county of Fincastle into two
distinct counties was committed. And on Monday, November
26, 1776, the bill for dividing the county of Fincastle into three
distinct counties was read a third time, and it was:
"Eesolved, That the said bill do pass, and that the title be, an
Act for dividing the county of Fincastle into two distinct coun-
ties, and the parish of Botetourt intO' four distinct parishes, and
Mr. Arthur Campbell was appointed to carry the same to the
Senate for their concurrence.
In the Senate, several amendments were proposed to the bill
passed by the House, which amendments, being communicated
to the House, were disagreed to', whereupon, the Senate com-
municated with the House, through Mr. Ellzey, as follows :
"Mr. Speaker :
"The Senate do insist on the amendments by them proposed
to the bill entitled. An Act for Dividing the County of Fincastle
into three distinct coamties, and the parish of Botetourt into four
distinct parishes. And upon the amendments being again read,
it was, by the House of Delegates,
"Resolved, That this House do recede from their disagree-
ment to the said amendments proposed by the Senate, which
action of the House having been communicated to the Senate, the
Senate insisted on the amendments proposed to the bill by them,
whereupon, the Virginia House of Delegates, on December 6,
1776,
"Resolved, That this House do insist on the disagreement to
said amendments, and that Mr. Campbell do acquaint the Sen-
ate therewith."
Which resolution being communicated to the Senate, the Act
i for the dividing of the county of Fincastle into three distinct
counties, and the parish of Botetourt into four distinct parishes,
Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786. 353
was adopted, the Senate having receded from the amendments
proposed by them.
This act provided that from and after the 31st day of Decem-
ber, 1776, the connty of Pincastle shall be divided into three
distinct counties, to be known by the names of Montgomery,
Washington and Kentucky.
Thus ends tJie history of Fincastle county, in so far as the
history of that county forms a part of the history of Washing-
ton county.
254 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
CHAPTEE VII.
WASHINGTOX COUNTY, 1 777-1 78G.
The Act of the General Assembl}^ of A^irginia dividing the
county of Fincastle into three distinct counties, to-wit: Mont-
gomer}', Washington, and Kentucky, was adopted by the General
Assembly of Virginia on the 6th day of December, 1770, and pro-
vided that from and after the last day of December, 177G, the
said county of Fincastle should be divided into three counties.
And this Act defines the bounds of Washington county as follows,
viz. : "That all that part of said county of Fincastle included in
the lines beginning at the Cumberland mountains where the line
of Kentucky county intersects the North Carolina (now Tennes-
see) line; thence east along the said Carolina line to the top of
Iron mountain; tJience along the same easterly to the source or
the South Fork of the Holston river; thence northwardly alone
the highest part of the highlands, ridges and mountains that di-
vide the waters of the Tennessee from those of the Great Ka-
nawha to the most easterly source of Clinch river; thence west-
wardly along the top of the mountain that divides the waters of the
Clinch river from those of the Great Kanawha and Sandy Creek
to the line of Kentucky county, and thence along the same
to the beginning, shall be one other distinct county and called and
known by the name of Washington.*
"The eastern boundary of Washington county as thus defined was
altered by Act of the General Assembly of Virginia at its session
in the month of IMay, 1777, as follows: Beginning at a ford on
Holston river, next above Captain John Campbell's, at the Eoyal
Oak, and rimning from thence a due south course to the dividing
line between the States of Virginia and North Carolina ; and
from the ford aforesaid to the westerly end of Morris' Knob, about
three miles above Maiden Spring on Clinch, and from thence, by
a line to be drawn due north, until it shall intersect the waters of
the Great Sandy river."
The Act estal)lishing the county of Washington directed tlmt the
*Hening statutes, 1776.
Washington County, 1777-1870. 255
justices named in the commissions of the peace for the said
county shouki meet at Black's Fort, in said county, on the last
Tuesday in January, 1777, which day in each month was desig-
nated l)v said Act as County Court day, and a majority of the
justices .-_;o commissioned were authorized to designate tJie place
for holding said court and to elect a clerk for said court.
The power to appoint the first sheriff of the county was vested
in the (loA'ernor.
The territory included within the county of Washington as
thus established is now embraced in the following counties :
Washington, Tazewell,
Russell, Lee,
Scott, Buchanan,
Smyth, Dickenson,
Wise,
a territory sufficient in extent and wealth to constitute a great
State.
Governor Patrick Henry, on the 21st day of December, 1776, is-
sued a commission of the peace and dedimus for Washington
county appointing the following persons as justices of the peace
for said county :
Arthur Campbell, William Edmiston,
Evan Shelby, Joseph Martin,
James Dysart, John Campbell,
John Anderson, Alexander Buchanan,
John Coulter, John Kinkead,
William Campbell, James Montgomery,
Daniel Smith, John Snoddy,
George Blackburn and Thomas Mastin,
and on the same day he issued his commission appointing the fol-
lowing officers f-or the said county :
Sheriff — James Dysart,
County Lieutenant — Arthur Campbell,
Colonel — Evan Shelby,
Lieutenant-Colonel — William Campbell,
IMajor — Daniel Smith.
The first court of said county assembled at Black's Fort (now
Abingdon) on the last Tuesday in January, 1777, being the 28th
256 Southwest Yirgima, 1746-1786.
(lay of that month, pursuant to the Act of the Assembly establish-
ing the county, on which day William Campbell and Joseph Mar-
tin, two of the justices commissioned by the Governor, adminis-
tered the oath of a justice of the peace and of a justice of tlie
County Court in Chancery to Arthur Campbell, the first justice
named in said commission, and he afterwards administered the
aforesaid oaths to :
William Campbell, William Edmiston,
John Campbell, Joseph Martin,
John Kinkead, John Anderson,^
James Montgomery, John Snoddy,
and George Blackburn.
The court thus assembled, constituting a majority of the jus-
tices commissioned by the Governor, proceeded to the election o'
a clerk, when David Campbell was elected clerk.
At the time Washington county was established by law Colo-
nel Arthur Campbell and Colonel William Eussell represented
Fincastle county in the House of Delegates, and Colonel William
Christian represented the district in the Senate of Virgiinia.
Colonel Campbell andj Colonel Eussell resided in that portion of
Fincastle county afterwards included in the bounds of W^ashington
county. Colonel Russell and Colonel Christian had served with
General Washington in the Continental Armyf while Colonel
Arthur Campbell had been a member of the Convention that
adopted the Constitution establishing the Co^mmonwealth of A^ir-
ginia, which Convention elected General George Washington a
member of the Continental Congress which assembled in Philadcl-
\)hm in 1776. It is not definitely known who suggested the name
of Washington for the new county; and while the question is 'n
doubt, still it is reasonable to suppose that Colonel Arthur Camp-
bell was the author of the idea, as it appears from the proceedings*
of the House of Delegates that he was designated by the House to
convey the information to the Senate of Virginia that the House
had passed the Act establishing the county.
But without regard to who suggested the name for the new
county it is a fact that this is the first locality in the United States
that was honored with the name of the "Father of Our Country."
The Act establishing the new county was agreed to by the general
Washington County, 1777-1S70. 257
Assembly of Virginia on December 6, 1776, and the county gov- .
ernment was organized on January 28, 1777.
Tennessee and N^orth Carolina historians insist that Washington
county, Tennessee, was the first locality in the Union to receive
the name of Washington, but, by an examination of the North
Carolina records, it will be ascertained that Wasliington district?,
North Carolina (now Tennessee), was not mentioned until April,
1777, and the county of Washington, North. Carolina (now Ten-
nessee), was not established by the G-eneral Assembly of Nortli
Carolina until November, 1777.
Black's Fort, the locality of the meeting of the first court of
Washington county, was erected in the year 1776 on the lands of
Captain Joseph Black, on the west bank or near the west banl:
of what was then known as Eighteen Miles Creek, alias Castle's
Creek, by the settlers living in the vicinity, and about five hun-
dred other settlers who hg,d fled from their homes west of Abing-
don iipon the outbreak of the Indian War in 1776. It was one
of those rude structures which the pioneers were accustomed
to make for defence against the Indians, consisting of a few
log cabins surrounded by a stockade. The locality of this fort was
about twenty-five yards south of the Norfolk and Western rail-
road, in the Knob road, and near the brick cottage, the property
of Charles F. Palmer.
In the fall of the year 1879, Captain Frank S. Findlay, while
excavating for a place for a turbine wheel near this place, discov-
ered a portion of an old wall constructed of rock and logs some five
or six feet below the surface, and in the wall was found an arrow
made from the heart of a white oak, with a sharp iron spike af-
fixed. This wall was a part, of the old fort, and it is not improb-
able that this arrow was sped there by an Indian. In the year 1796
a mill dam was erected about fifty yards south of this old wall.*
The first court of Washington county was in session two days,
January 28th-29th. The first day of the term was occupied in
qualifying the members of the court, the election of a clerk, the
qualifications of militia officers, as above given, and the granting
of letters of administration in several cases. Upon the second day
of the term the first matter of importance that received the atten-
tion of the court was the appointment of William Campbell, Wil-
*Black's Mill Dam.
258 Southwest Vinjinia, 17Jff>-17SG.
liain Edmiston, John Anderson and George Blaekhnrn as com-
missioners to hire wagons to luring up the county salt allowed
by the Governor and Council, and to receive and distribute the
same agreeably to said order of Council.
Some ]x^o])k', in speaking of this order of the County Court,
have expressed surprise that such an order should have been en-
tered by the court of a county in which was located great beds of
salt, and, further, tliat the Governor and Council thus allotted
salt to this county.
At the time this order was entered salt was a rare article and
exceedingly valualile, and was not known to exist in this country.
So difficult was it to supply the demands for salt that in the year
177G the General Assembly of A^irginia enacted the following law :
"Resolved that the Governor, with the advice of the Privy Coun-
cil, be empowered tO' purchase, on account of the public and at a
generous price, all the salt that may be imported into this coun-
try in the course of the next six months, and that he be authorized
to issue his warrant on the treasurer to pay for the same: that
such salt when purchased be immediately stored in some convenient
and secure parts of the country, and distributed by order of the
Governor, with the advice of the Council, amongst the inhabi-
tants of the different counties, im such proportion as their exi-
gencies and the quantity procured may admit, regard being prin-
cipally had to such counties as are farthest removed from salt
water; and that the receivers of the salt do pay into the hands
of such persons as may be appointed for that purpose, at the time
of the delivery, so much per Inishel, as the Governor, with the advice
of the Council, may judge reasonable ; the money when received ^o
be paid with all convenient dispatch into the treasur}^ for reim-
bursing the publick."
It was pursuant to the order of the Governor and Council, acting
upon the authority of this act, that the commissioners were
appointed. On the second day the court proceeded to appoint a
number of officers to take a list of tithables and of the quantity of
taxable lands in the county.
The following commissioners were appointed by tlie court to
do this work in the localities mentioned, to-wit:
Joseph Martin, on north side Clinch mountain, high as Glade
Hollow. John Kinkead, Glade Hollow to head of Clinch. John
Washington County, 1777-1870. 25D
Campbell, head of Holston to Stalnaker's direct across. William
Edmiston, Stalnaker's to Black's Fort, direct across. James Mont-
gomery, Black's Fort to Major Bledsoe's. John Anderson, from
Major Bledsoe's as low as there are settlers. At the same time
the court appointed the following constables : Rawley Duncan,
from Castle's Woods to lowest settlement. James Wharton, Castle's
Woods to Glade Hollow. James Laughlin, Glade Hollow, to upper
settlement Elk Garden. William Lean, head of Holston to Seven-
Mile Ford. Robert Brown, Seven-Mile Ford to Eleven-Mile Creek.
Christopher Acklin, Eleven-Mile Creek to Ford of Beaver Creek.
John Fain, Eleven-Mile Creek to Sinking Creek. James Steel,
Ford Beaver Creek to Amos Eaton's. At the same time the fol-
lowing surveyors of roads were appointed : Alexander Wylie, from
county line to Charles Hayes. John Hays, from Charles Hays' to
Mill Creek. Jacob Anderson,^ from Mill Creek to Seven-Mile Ford.
Aaron Lewis, Seven-Mile Ford to Big Spring. Andrew Kincan-
non from Big Spring to James Kincannon's. James Bryan, from
James Kincannon's to Joseph Black's. Andrew Colvill, from
Joseph Black's to Ford Beaver Creek. Benjamin Gray, Ford Bea-
ver Creek to Steel's Creek. David Steel, from Steel's Creek to
the meeting house. Amos Eaton, from meeting house to Fort
Patrick Henry. Thomas Berry, Watauga Road, James Bryan's to
James Montgomery's. William Young, Captain Montgomery's to
Isaac Riddle's. John Cox, Isaac Riddle's to Ford of Holston.
The names as above given and the localities assigned to each are
important in this, that they definitely indicate the established
roads in the county at the beginning of our local government, and
define, with reasonable certainty, the extent of the settlements at
that time. Many readers will be surprised to know that the Vir-
ginia authorities appointed officials and exercised jurisdiction over
the country (now Tennessee), as low down as Fort Patrick Henry,
thirty miles below Bristol. The explanation is that our people
supposed the Holston river to be the dividing line between the two
States, Virginia and North Carolina. At this time and for several
years thereafter, Virginia exercised jurisdiction, collected taxes
and gave protection to the settlers as low down as Carter's Valley
in Tennessee.
On the second day of the court, Isaac Shelby, Robert Craig, John
Dunkin and John Adair, were recommended to the Governor as
260 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
proper persons to be added to the Commission of the Peace for the
connty, and they were commissioned accordingly. On the same
day the court recommended to Edmnnd Eandolph, Attorney for
the Commonwealth, Ephraim Dunlop, as a proper person to act
as Deputy Attorney for the Commonwealth in this connty, and he
was commissioned accordingly, and became the first practising
attorney for the Commonwealth in this connty.
On the same day the conrt ordered that the house adjoining that
whicli tlie court is held in, be a prison, and that the sheriff be
empowered to employ some person to put it in the best repair he
can."
The statement has been made by a very worthy citizen of Wash-
ington county of former days,* "that the first court of this connty
assembled in a grove on the hillside south of Greenway's store, but
in view of the above order of the court, this statement is inaccu-
rate, as the court was held within the stockade of Black's Fort, and
the house designated as a prison was within the same stockade.
At the time in question, the courts of the country undertook to
regulate the private affairs of the citizens to a much greater extent
than at the present time, which can be accoimted for by the fact
that our people had just shaken off the heavy hand of monarchy
and established, for the first time, constitutional government.
As an example of the extent to which the private concerns of the
people were then regulated by government, the court of this county,
on the second day of its term, fixed the price of liquors as follows :
Eum, 16s. per gallon ; Eye whiskey, 8s. ; corn whiskey, 4s. ; a bowl of
rum toddy, with loaf sugar, 2s., with brown sugar Is.
And at the March term, 1779, it fixed the price of a warm din-
ner at 15s.; cold dinner, 9s.; for a good breakfast, 12s.; oats or
corn at 4s. per gallon; good lodging with clean sheets, 2s. Stab-
blidge, with hay or fodder, 2s., and good pasturage the same.
After the transaction of considerable business, on the afternoon
of the 29th day of January, 1777, the first court of the county
adjourned, to court in course, which was the last Tuesday in Feb-
ruary, being the 25th day of that month, on which day the court
assembled at Black's Fort, with several members present. The first
business of importance transacted was the qualification of Luke
Bowyer to practice as an attorney in this court, and, thereupon.
*Charle3 B.. Coale.
Washington County, 1777-1870. 261
the court proceeded to the examination of Edward Bond, on suspi-
cion of his having murdered Thomas Jones. The court heard the
evidence and acquitted the prisoner. On the following day the
court proceeded to the examination of the same Edward Bond,
upon suspicion of his having stolen a small bay mare of the value
of fifteen pounds, and upon a hearing of the evidence against him,
he was held for trial at the General Court, at the capitol in the
city of Williamsburg."
The student of our early history must be impressed with thi^5
fact, that our forefathers would give to the prisoner charged with
murder the benefit of every reasonable doubt, while, on the other
band, they would give the prisoner charged with horse-stealing, the
maximum punishment prescribed by law, if there existed against
him a strong suspicion.
On the 26th day of February, 1777, the court proceeded to recom-
mend to the Governor of Virginia the militia officers for Wash-
ington county, which officers were duly commissioned and were
as follows:
Captains :
William Edmiston, John Campbell, Royal Oak;
Joseph Martin, John Shelby, Sr. ;
James Montgomery, Eobert Buchanan, Sr,,
Aaron Lewis, John Duncan,
Gilbert Christian, James Shelby,
James Dysart, Thomas Mastin,
John Campbell, John Kinkead,
V John Anderson, William Bowen,
George Adams, Eobert Craig,
Andrew Colvill, James Eobertson, Watauga.
Ijieutenants of Militia :
David Beattie, James Maxwell,
Samuel Hays, John Snoddy,
David Ward, John Coulter,
Thomas Price, Eoger Topp,
George Freeland, John Anderson,
James Fulkerson, George Maxwell,
John Berry, William Blackburn,
Charles Campbell, Andrew Kincannon,
262 Southwest Virginia, 17Jf6-1786.
Lieutenants of Militia — Con.
John Frazier, C!harles Allison,
Alexander Wylie, Joseph Black.
Ensigns of Militia:
Thomas Whitten, Eees Bowen,
Solomon Litton, Henry Dickenson,
Abraham McClelland, William Eosebrough,
John Loony, Josiah Eamsey,
James Elliott, William Young,
John Davis, William Casey,
John Wilson, John Lowry,
James Shaw, William ISTeal,
James Crabtree, Arthur Bowen,
Eobert Davis, Alexander Barnett.
Colonel Arthur Campbell, immediately upon his qualification as
county lieutenant of Washington coointy, proceeded to organize the
militia of the county, and place the same upon such footing as they
would be able to repel any attack that might be made upon the set-
tlers on the frontiers, the most exposed part of which was in Car-
ter's Valley and the Watauga settlement in the vicinity of Eliza-
bethton, Tennessee.
On the 31st day of March, 1777, he requested James Eobertson,
a captain in the militia of this county, residing at Watauga to fur-
nish him with a list of the settlers at Watauga, that he might loiow
their strength and give such orders as were necessary for their pro-
tection. Captain Eobertson furnished the list, whereupon Colonel
Campbell, in view of the danger in which the settlements stood,
directed Eobertson to assemble the settlers in one or two places,
and he recommended Eice's and Patterson's Mills as the most pro-
per ones. "Let yoair company be at Eice's," said he, "and Captain
Gilbert Christian may come to Patterson's Mill."
There was to have been a complete suspension of hostilities
between the Cherokee Indians and the white settlers, from the
return of Colonel Christian, in the fall of 1776, until the month
of May, 1777, the time set for the negotiation of a treaty at Long
Island. Notwithstanding the fact that the Indians had agreed to
a suspension of hostilities, and that there were four hundred
soldiers stationed at Long Island, under the command of Colonel
Washington County, 1777-1870. 263
Evan Shelby and Major Anthony Bledsoe, numerous hostilities
were committed by the Indians. Several murders were committed
on the frontiers, and on the 10th of April, 1777, James Calvatt was
shot and scali3ed. The Indians who killed Calvatt were pursued
by Captain James Eobertson and nine men, who killed one Indian
and retook ten horses, but, upon his return from the pursuit of the
Indians, he and his men were attacked by a party of Creeks and
Cherokees, who wounded two of his men and forced him to retreat.
At the same time two men were killed on Clinch river, and it
developed that the Indians had numerous parties out murdering
and plundering whenever possible. The Indians put the blame of
this trouble upon Dragging Canoe, the Indian chief, who, upon
receiving a wound at the battle of Long Island Flats, on July 20,
1776, had retired to the Chickamauga country and refused to
talk of peace.
In the spring of the year 1777, pursuant to the provisions of the
Constitution of the Commonwealtli of Virginia, an election was held
for members of the G-eneral Assembly from Washington county,
at which election Arthur Campbell and William Edmiston were
opposed by Anthony Bledsoe and William Cocke.
The qualification of electors voting at said election was as fol-
lows: "Every free white man, who, at the time of the election,
shall have been for one year preceding, in possession of twenty-
five acres of land with a house and plantation thereon, or one hun-
dred acres of land without a house and plantation thereon, and
having right for an estate for life, at least, in the said land, in
his O'Wn right or in the right of his wife, was entitled to a vote."
This election was hotly contested and resulted in favor of
Anthony Bledsoe and William Cocke, two gentlemen who after-
wards became distinguished in the history of Tennessee, William
Cocke being one of the two United States Senatoi-s elected to repre-
sent the State of Tennessee, at the date of its formation, in the
Senate of the United States.
Colonel Arthur Campbell and Captain William Edmiston, on the
20th day of May, 1777, filed a petition with the House of Dele-
gates of Virginia, setting forth that the petitioners, with Anthony
Bledsoe and William Cocke, were candidates at the last election of
delegates for the county of Washington; that on the close of the
poll it appeared that the greatest number of votes taken were in
264 Southwest Virginia, 174G-17SG.
favor of Anthony Bledsoe and William Cocke, owing, as they con-
ceive, to many votes being given in by persons who reside in North
Carolina and by others not entitled to vote ; that they apprehend the
said Bledsoe is incapable of sitting as a member of the legislature,
he having a military command which excluded him by the consti-
tution; tliat the said Cocke is not possessed of such landed prop-
erty in the county as is required by law, not to mention some
instances of bribery and corruption practised contrary to the spirit
of the present government; that these matters give dissatisfaction
to what they believe to be a majority of the legal electors in the
said county; and submitting themselves to such determination as
shall be thought reasonable and just. Thus our county was hon-
ored by a contested election in the dawn of its history, which must
have excited a good deal of feeling among the pioneers of the Hols-
ton and the Clinch.
During the same session of the General Assembly, Mr. Banister,
chairman of the Committee on Privileges and Elections, reported
toi the legislature that the committee had agreed upon a report and
had comie to several resolutions thereupon, which they had directed
him to report to the House. Having read the report in his
place, he afterwards delivered it in at the clerk's table, where
the same was read and was as foHoweth — viz. :
"As to the first charge contained in the said petition against the
sitting members, as not having a greater number of legal votes than
the petitioners, it appears to your committee, from a certificate of
tlie sheriff of the county of Washington, that upon the close of the
poll, the number of the voters stood as follows — to-wit:
For Mr. Anthony Bledsoe 297
For Mr. William Cocke ■: 294
For Mr. Arthur Campbell 211
For Mr. William Edmiston 144
It also appears to your committee by a line run by Colonel John
Donaldson between this State and North Carolina, as far as the
Holston river, that should it be continued in the same latitude to
where it would intersect the north fork of Holston river, a consider-
able number of those who voted for the sitting members would be
left in North Carolina, and if allowed the right of suffrage in
the said county of Washington, would give them the greatest num-
ber of legal votes.
Washington County, 1777-1870. 265
It farther appears to your committee, from the information of
Thomas Walker, Esq., that from the most accurate observations he
has been able to make, the Great Island on the Holston river lies
in this State, and that, shonld a direct line rnn from where the
said Donaldson's terminated to the said island, the greater number
of voters living in the bend of Holston river would be taken into
the county of Washington, and that such' line would in many places
intersect the river.
It appears to your committee from the information of Colonel
William Christian that he brought a writ of ejectment in the
County Court of Fincastle for a tract of land lying near the Hol-
ston river, between the Great Island and the termination of Don-
aldson's line ; that the person who was in possession of the land and
defended the suit, pleaded to the jurisdiction of the court, which
was overruled and he obtained a judgment.
It farther appears to your committee, from the testimony of
James Thompson, that he acted as sheriff in the county formerly
Fincastle in the years 1774 and 1775, during which time he col-
lected levies and taxes from those people who reside on the north
side of the Holston river as low down as within about six miles of
the great island, which was esteemed the reputed bounds of Vir-
ginia. As to the second article of charge contained in the petition
touching Mr. Bledsoe's holding a military command, it appears
to 3'-our committee that Mr. Bledsoe holds no other commission
than that of a major in the militia.
As to the article of charge against Mr. Cocke, as not being a land-
holder and resident in the said county of Washington, it appears
to your committee, from the testimony of James Thompson and
John Montgomer3^ that Mr. Cocke was possessed, under a survey,
of more than one hundred acres of land for one year preceding
the election, hath resided in the county formerly Fincastle, with
a family, several years, until some time in February last, when
Mr. Cocke moved part of his family out of the country for fear
of an Indian war, but continues there himself the greater part of
his time.
That the said John Montgomery was present when the poll was
closed and heard the sheriff proclaim the sitting members duly
elected.
As to the last article of charge respecting the bribery and cor-
266 Southwest Virginia, 171,6-1786.
ruption, it appears to your committee to be groundless. Whereupon
your committee came to the following resolutions :
Resolved, as the opinion of this committee, That the said
Anthony Bledsoe and William Cocke were duly elected to serve as
delegates in this present General Assembly for the county of Wash-
ington.
The said resolutions being severally read a second time, were,
upon the question severally put thereupon, agreed tO' by the House."*
While the people of Washington county, Virginia, may feel some
pride in knowing that our people explored East Tennessee and
furnished the rule of action by which her early settlers were gov-
erned, on the other hand East Tennesseeans will find pride in the
fact that they furnished Washington county, Virginia, her first
representatives in the Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
This election was held at Black's Port, the county seat of Wash-
ington county, and every elector in the county was required to
attend and cast his vote in person, under a penalty, and we may
well imagine what a busy appearance the neighborhood of Black's
Fort presented that day, 946 men from Powell's Valley, Clinch
Valley, Holston, Carter's Valley and Watauga, Tennessee.
On the 29th day of April, 1777, the ancestor of a great many
people whose names have been honorably associated with the his-
tory of Washington county ^appeared in court. He was not a
stranger to this section, nor was he a stranger to the members of
that court. He had long been a deputy surveyor, under William
Preston, surveyor of Fincastle county, and had previously thereto
surveyed for the citizens of Holston large and numerous tracts
of land. His name was Eobert Preston, and on that day he pre-
sented to the court a commission from the masters of William and
Mary College, appointing him surveyor of Washington county.
The position of county surveyor was at that time, the most lucra-
tive position to be found in any of the counties and was much
sought after. William Preston, of Smithfield, as well as Robert
Preston, had long been actively engaged by Colonel James Patton
and the Tjoyal Tiand Company, in surveying and locating their
grants of one hundred and twenty thousand and eight hundred
thousand acres of land in Southwest Virginia. For this reason
they had incurred the displeasure of many of the people of South-
*Joxirnal House of Delegates, 1777.
Washington County, 1777-1870. 267
western Virginia, and particulaiiy that of Colonel Arthur Camp-
bell and his family, men who were ambitious and who felt it their
right to rule. Whether this was the reason for the action of the
court, or whether the reason is correctly stated in the order of
the court cannot be stated. The court entered the following order:
"Eobert Preston, Gent., produced a commission from the Mas-
ters of William and Mary College appointing him a surveyor of
Washington, and it is the opinion of the court that the same should
not be received, as it is issued by virtue of a prerogative from
the Crown of England."
If the order of this coiirt correctly stated the motive of the
court, there can be no question that the court detested the Crown
of England and everything emanating therefrom.
Eobert Preston appealed from this order of the County Court
of Washington county, to the General Court at Williamsburg,
which appeal was pending for some time, during which time, Eobert
Preston produced a surveyor's commission from the Masters of
William and Mary College, dated January 23, 1777, to the County
Court, ol this county, and desired to be qualified by the said court,
but his application was refused by the court, as there was an appeal
pending in the General Court for a refusal of the same character.
AVhile the appeal of Eobert Preston was pending in the General
Court, numerously signed petitions were presented to the General
Assembly of Virginia, praying that lx)dy to confer the power ol
selecting coamty surveyors upon the Coimty Courts of the several
counties, but Eobert Preston seemed to have the ear of government,
and all petitions were rejected.
I cannot say what disposition was made of the appeal of Eobert
Preston, but from an inspection of the records of the County Court
of this county, the following information is gathered : "Eobert
Preston, Gent., produced a commission from Thos. Jefferson, Gov.
of the Commonwealth of Virginia, being dated the 22nd day of
December, 1779, appointing him Surveyor of the County of Wash-
ington, and gave bond with James Dysart and Aaron Lewis, his
securities, in the sum of 20,000 pounds for the faithful discharge
of his oflfico and took the oath of office."
This office he filled until the year 1831, a little more than fifty-
one years. The bad feeling between thePreston and Campbell fam-
ilies continued for many years, during which time there was a
268 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
resort to arms. A duel was fought and a member of the Campbell
family wounded, but I am happy to say this feeling has long since
died out, and the two families for many years have been intimately
connected, socially and otherwise.
The settlers on the Plolston and Clinch, during the years 1776-
1777, had been greatly harassed by the invasion of the Indians,
and thereby prevented from making anything like a crop from their
lands. They had also been required to furnish supplies to Colonel
Christian and his army of two thousand men, upon their invasion
of the Cherokee country, and the country was thereby greatly
impoverished before the crops in the year 1777 were harvested.
The good citizens, the relatives and friends of the settlers, living
in Augusta county, contributed through Mr. Alexander St. Clair
considerable sums of money, and provisions, for the relief of the
settlers on the frontiers, and the County Court of this county,
besides entering the following order, directed Captain William
Campbell to have Mr. St. Clair to lay out the money in his hands
for wheat.
"Ordered that Joseph Martin, John Kinkead, John Coulter, Gil-
bert Christian, William Campbell and Thomas Mastin, who are
hereby appointed as commissioners to distribute the flour con-
tributed in Augusta county or elsewhere for the distressed inhabi-
tants of this county, and to hire wagons to bring the same to this
county."
This is the only instance save one, in the history of this county,
that outsiders have been called upon to contribute to the support
of the people of Washington county.
On the same day, the court entered an order appointing Eobert
Young, constable, from Amos Eaton's to Patterson's Mill, Castle-
ton Brooks, from Patterson's Mill to lowest settlements down the
river. These appointments were made to keep in touch with the
advancing settlements.
At a meeting of the court on the 30th day of April, 1777, it
was ''ordered that the court be held as soon as the courthouse can be
built, at the place formerly laid off for a town, upon the land given
to the county by the honorable Thomas Walker, Joseph Black and
Samuel Briggs.^' /
At the time of the organization of the'^ county. Dr. Thomas
Walker, Joseph Black and Samuel Briggs agreed to give one hun-
Washington County, 1777-1870. 269
dred and twenty acres of land in the coimty of Washington agree-
ably to a survey thereof made by Robert Doach for the purpose
of establishing a town thereon, and for raising a sum of money
towards defraying the expenses of building a courthouse and prison.
This offer was made by the gentlemen mentioned to the County
Court as an inducement to have them establish the coimty seat near
Black's Fort and adjoining their other lands.
Tradition says that the co^urt hesitated for sojn« time m making
a selection between Wolf Hills, (now Abiiigdon), and Shugarts-
ville, (now Green Spring).
From a perusal of the orders of the County Court, it appears
that a number of logs and other timber had been gathered at Mr.
Black's for the purpose of building a magazine when, on the 27th
day of August, 1777, the County Court ordered the sheriff to
employ some person or persons, upon the best terms he could, to
remove the logs and other timber at Mr. Black's for the purpose of
building a magazine, to some convenient place where the town
is to stand and there to be built for a courthouse."
"And likewise to build a prison fourteen feet square, with square
timber, twelve inches each way, and a good shingle roof," with
directions to line the side wall and under floor with two-inch plank,
and put nine iron spikes in each plank, six inches long in lieu of a
stone wall."
Pursuant to this order, the sheriff of the county let the contract
for the building of the county courthouse to Samuel Evans; to
Abraham Goodpasture, the building of a prison; to G. Martin, the
contract for making irons for criminals, and to Hugh Berry the
contract for making the nails to be used in the building of the
courthouse
The courthouse was built of logs and stood upon the lot occupied
by the present residence of Mrs. James W. Preston. The jail oi
prison (a fair description of which has been previously given), stood
on the lower end of the present courthouse lot, a short distance from
the street and north of the present courthouse.
On the 30th day of April, 1777, the County Court "ordered that
Arthur Campbell, William Campbell, Daniel Smith, Joseph Mar-
tin, William Edmiston, John Coulter and Eobert Craig, gents,
be appointed trustees to dispose of the land given to the county
by the Honorable Thomas Walker, Samuel Briggs^ and Joseph
270 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
Black, and formerly laid off by Captain Robert Doach, and that
they or any four of them shall sell the same and apply the money
arising therefrom toward defraying the expenses of the publick
buildings in tJiis county."
Pursuant to this order of the court, the trustees therein named
employed John Coulter to lay off a part of the streets and alleys
of the proposed town, which service he performed and reported to
the court and received his pay therefor.
The time when the new courthouse was first occupied cannot
be definitely fixed, but must have been in the year 1778, and the
new prison was not used or occupied until the year 1779.
On the same day the court directed David Campbell, clerk, to
furnish blank books for keeping the public records, and ordered the
sheriff to summons twenty-four of the most capable freeholders to
serve as a grand jury, which grand jury met on the 27th day of
May, 1777, at Black's Fort, and made the following indictments —
to- wit :
Margaret Drummon for having a bastard child, and James
Bryan for not having the road in good repair he was surveyor of.
On the same day the court entered the following order :
"Ordered that it be certified that it is the opinion of the court,
that the field officers for Washington county be recommended to
His Excellency the Governor, to be continued and be in the office
they have been commissioned to by his Excellency, which appoint-
ments are approved of by the court of this county.
Major Anthony Bledsoe, upon his election as a member of the
Legislature of Virginia, resigned his position as major of the forces
stationed at Long Island and left for Richmond, and was suc-
ceeded by Captain William Russell.
Major Bledsoe and Captain Cocke expected, upon the assembling
of the legislature at Richmond, to have the pleasure of displacing
the militia officers of Washington county and filling their positions
with their friends and partizans, and Colonel Campbell, as a means
to disappoint Cocke and Bledsoe in the accomplishment of their
purpose, had the preceding order entered by the court of this
county, which action had the desired effect, and as a result of it
Cocke and Bledsoe preferred charges against Colonel Campbell,
which charges were heard and dismissed by the Governor and Coun-
cil, in the same year.
Washington County, 1777-1870. 371
The County Court during this year, upon motion of James
Dysart, sheriff of the county, permitted Joseph Black, James Eob-
erts and John King, to qualify as deputy sheriffs for this county,
and during the same year, permitted Eobert Campbell and John
Campbell to qualify as deputy clerks for said county.
During the early part of the year 1777, the court ordered the fol-
lowing roads opened and established : "A road from James Kin-
cannon's to William Kennedy's Mill. A road from Samuel Henry's
up the South Pork of Holston, the way viewed by Eobert Buchanan,
Alexander McISTutt and Eobert Edmiston, pursuant to the order
of the Fincastle court."
And, "on motion, John Anderson, Gilbert Christian, James
Elliott, James Fulkerson and William Eoberts, were appointed com-
missioners to view a road from George Blackburn's by James Ful-
kerson's to the forks of the path leading to Kentucky and the mouth
of Eeedy creek."
In the fall of this year, the following orders relating to the roads
of the county, were entered :
"Benjamin Gray and William Blackburn were appointed commis-
sioners to view and locate a road from the courthouse to Shoate's
Ford on Holston river on the 27th day of August, 1777, and the
report of the viewers establishing this road was confirmed by the
court on the 30th day of September, 1777.
Josiah Gamble, Thomas Berry and Adam Keer were appointed
commissioners to locate a road from the courthouse to Philip's Mill,
on the Watauga road, on the 27th of August, 1777 ; their report was
confirmed and the road established on the 30th day of September,
1777.
William Bowen, David Ward, Eees Bowen and James Fowler
were appointed commissioners to locate a road from the Eichlands
by Maiden's Spring to the gap of the Laurel Fork of the north
branch of Holston on the 30th day of September, 1777, and on
the same day, John Finley, John Fowler and Abraham Crabtree
were appointed commissioners to locate a road from said gap down
the valley to the head of Fifteen-Mile creek and on to the court-
house.
On the same day, Albert McClure, Thomas McCulloch and
Joseph Martin were appointed commissioners to view a road from
the foot of Clinch mountain where James Logan lived to the gap
273 Southwest Virginia, 17Jf6-1786.
O'f the moimtain opposite the head of Fifteen-Mile creek. Their
report was received and confirmed on the 18th day of March, 177S.
John Kinkead, Daniel Smith, Thomas Price and William Gil-
mer were appointed commissioners to locate a road from the
north side of Clinch mountain, over Clinch mountain, to Eobert
and James Logan's and Halbert McClure. Thomas McCulloch and
Joseph Martin were appointed commissioners to locate a road from
the foot of Clinch moimtain at James Logan's to the courthouse.
William Casey, Eobert Harrold and Samuel Staples were
appointed commissioners on the 36th day of November, 1777, to
locate a road from the mouth of Harrold's creek to the courthouse,
and on the same day, Francis Cooper, John Dunkin and James
Davis were appointed commissioners to locate a road from the
ISTorth Fork of Holston to the Castle's Woods road through Little
Moccasin Gap ; this last road was established by order of the court on
the 18th day of March, 1778.
We give this information in regard to the roads established in the
year 1777, as it is always of interest to the citizens to laiow the
time and circumstances attending the opening of our public roads.
The State authorities in the month of October, 1777, made a
requisition upon the authorities of Washington county for thirty-
three men for the continental service, which requisition was
promptly complied with.
During the summer of this year, all the western settlements were
visited, by numbers of Tories from the eastern portion of the State
and from the disaffected portions of North Carolina, and were
greatly troubled by their presence in this, that they usually joined
themselves in bands and traveled about through the settlements,
stealing horses and robbing the Whig sympathizers ; and O'ftentimes,
in accomplishing their purposes, committed the (>ffence_of murder,
and, from all appearances, in the fall of this ^ear it looked as if they
would be able to give the settlers a great deal of trouble, unless in
some manner restrained.
The people living on Holston undertook to restrain these Tory
sympathizers by a resort to the courts and by inflicting the punish-
ment prescribed by law, and, in so doing, Isaac Lebo, Jeremiah
Slaughter and William Houston were indicted, tried and convicted
for conduct and conversation evidencing a disposition inimical to
Washington County, 1777-1870. 273
the cause of America. Their goods were confis^ted_and they were
fined and imprisoned.
The British government had spies scattered throughout the
country, carrying messages between its officials ^nd the Indians
living to the south and west of the Holston settlements, and the
situation was fast becoming exceedingly precarious. One of these
spies was captured and punished by ColonerWilliam Campbell and
some of his friends, in this yeiir, when Colonel Campbell was return-
ing to his liome from preaching, in company with his wife and two
or three gentlemen. The circumstances were as follows: "When
Colonel Campbell had gotten within a few miles of home, he dis-
covered a man walking, with a little bundle on a stick thrown over
his shoulder. Wlien the man got within some hundred and fifty
yards of Campbell, he turned obliquely off from the road. As soon
as Campbell discovered this, he turned from the road in a direction
to intercept him. When the man discovered that he was about to
be intercepted by Campliell and his companions, he broke and ran
with all his might towards the river. The pursuers galloped after
liim and as there was no ford there they jumped off of their
horses and ran across the river and overtook their game in an ivy
cleft. Tliey carried him back to the road. When they got back
several other men fell in company with them. The spy, as I will
now call the m.an, was dressed very shabbily. Colonel Campbell
asked him why he turned from the road. The spy appeared very
silly and offered some flimsy excuse. Campbell propounded a great
many other questions to him. The fellow pretended to have very
little sense and said that he was a very poor man and was going
tO' the back settlements where there was plenty of land. From
the many questions Campbell proposed^ to the spy he became per-
fectly satisfied that he was a man of fine sense and under the dis-
guise of a fool. Campbell informed him that he believed him to
be a man engaged in some vile service and he must be searched,
to which the spy had no objection. His bundle was searched, in
which was found nothing but some old clothes. Campbell informed
him he must pull off all the clothes he had on and put on the suit
he had in his bundle. In his pocket they found a pass and some
other old papers, all badly written. Every part of his clothing was
examined very minutely, but nothing could be found. Campbell
remarked to the spy that he had a very good pair of shoes on and
374 SouihwesL Virginia, 17J^6-178G.
he believed he would examine them. He took out his pocket knife
and ripped off the bottom soles of the shoes, and under each of them
he found a letter written by the British commander, addressed to
V ' the King of the Cherokee Indians. The letters were written on
very fine paper and were enveloped in bladder so as to render them
water-proof. The Indians were informed that the whites had
rebelled against their king, that a large army had been sent against
them, which would in a short time subdue them. The Indians
were exhorted to send their warriors in every direction and harass
the whites as much as possible. They were reminded of the injuries
they had received from the whites and were told that as soon as the
rebels were subdued, they would be amply remunerated for all the
land that had been taken from them and for whatever other losses
they had sustained from them. The letter wound up by recom-
mending the bearer to the king as a man of sense and honesty and
as one in whose counsels they should place implicit confidence. After
the letters were read, a council was held and it was unanimously
agreed that the spy should be hanged. Colonel Campbell informed
the spy that he had but a short time to live and he had as well make
a full and candid confession of everything connected with his trip.
The spy said that he had been promised by the British commander
a large sum of money to carry these letters to the Indians and to
incite them to do all the mischief they could possibly accomplish.
Soon after this confession the spy was taken by Campbell and his
companions and swung to a limb."*
At the August term of the County Court of 1777, th^ situation
had become so alarming that the court thought proper to require all
the citizens of the county to take the oath of allegiance to the Com-
monwealth and directed tliat George Blackburn tender the oath
of allegiance to all free male inliabitants living in the bounds of
Captain James Shelby's, Eobert Craig's and Andrew Colvill's com-
panies.
James Montgomery to tender the oath to those living in liis own
and Captain John Shelby's companies.
Arthur Campbell to tender the oath of allegiance to all in Cap-
tain Edmiston's and Captain Dysart's companies.
William Campbell to tender the oath of allegiance to those living
in Captain Aaron Lewis's company.
. *Capt. John Redd's MSS.
Washington County, 1777-1870. 275
John Snoddy, to those in his own and Captain Adam's compan3^
John Camphell, to those in his own and Captain John Camp-
bell's companies at Eoyal Oak.
John Kinkead in his own and Captain Dunkin's company.
Daniel Smith, to those living from the npper part of Captain
Dunkin's company to the county line, and to John Coulter was
assigiied the duty of tendering the oath of allegiance to all free male
inhabitants in the bounds of Captain Gilbert Christian's company
and Captain James Eobertson's company at Watauga.
The members of the County Court of Washington county were
zealous Whigs and were so aggressive in the enforcement of their
views, that it was with difficulty that a Tory could make his home
anywhere within the bounds of this county without being prosecuted
to the full extent of the law. A majority of these men did not
recognize any distinction between an Indian who would scalp his
wife and children and a man with a white skin who would lend
his influence to a government that would offer every inducement
to the Indian to murder and plunder the wliite settlers.
Colonel William Campbell was particularly aggressive in his pro-
secution of the Tories tO' be found within the county, and, by reason
thereof, was the object of special hatred on their part.
At this time there lived in Washington county two men by the
names of Frands Hopkins and William Hopkins. Francis Hop-
kins was a counterfeiter and, at the May term of the County Conrt
in the year 1778, he was tried by the court on suspicion of his hav-
ing counterfeited, erased and altered sundry treasury notes ; the
currency of this Commonwealth, knowing the same to be bad. He
was foimd guilty, fined fifty dollars lawful money of Virginia, sen-
tenced to six months in prison, and was ordered to be confined
within the walls of the Fort at William Cocke's (now C. L. Clyce's),
on Eenfro's creek, alias Spring creek, until the county gaol was
completed. He was conveyed to Cocke's Fort, but, within a short
time thereafter, made his escape and began a series of very bold
and daring depredations upon the Whig settlers of the county. He
organized a band of Tories, whose occupation was to steal the horses
of the settlers and intimidate the citizens whenever possible. He
went so far as to. post notices at and near the home of Colonel Wil-
liam Campbell, warning him that if he did not desist from his pro-
276 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
secution of the loyal adherents of George III, a terrible calamity
would befall him, either in the loss of his property or his life.
"On a quiet and beautiful Sabbath in the spring time of the
year 1780, General Campbell accompanied by Ms wife (who was
^ a sister of Patrick Henry), and several of their neighbors, attended
a religious service at a Presbyterian house of worship known as
Ebbing Spring Church in the upper end of this county. As they
were returning to their homes they happened to be conversing about
the audacity of the Tory who had been so bold and defiant in his
declarations and was suspected of having posted these notices above
referred to. Just as they arrived at the top of a hill, a short dis-
tance west of the present residence of Colonel Hiram A. Greever,
they observed a man on horseback on the opposite hill, coming
towards them. General Campbell was riding beside his wife, with
an infant on before him. One of them remarked that the individual
meeting them was the Tory of whom they had been speaking, prob-
ably now on a horse-stealing expedition, as he was observed to be
carrying a rope halter in his hand. Hearing this, Colonel Campbell,
without halting, handed the infant over to its mother and dashed
O'ut in front. Seeing the movement and recognizing the man whom
he so much feared and hated, the Tory wheeled his horse and started
back at quite a rapid gait, pursued at full speed by Colonel Camp-
bell and one of the gentlemen of the compan}'-, whose name was
Thompson. Never, it may be presumed, either before or since, has
such a dashing and exciting race been witnessed upon that long
level between the residences of Colonels Greever and Beattie. As
they reached the branch at the base of the hill a little west of Colonel
Beattie's, Colonel Campbell dashed up alongside the fleeing Tory,
who, seeing that he would be caught, turned short to the right down
the bank and plunged into the river. As he struck the water.
Colonel Campbell, who had left his companion in the rear, leaped in
beside him, grasped the Tory's holsters and threw them into the
stream, and then dragged him from his horse into the water.
At this moment Mr. Thompson rode up. They took their prisoner
out on the bank and held what may be termed a drum-head court.
The Tory, who, bad as he was, had the virtue of being a brave, can-
did man, at once acknowledged the truth of the charge preferred
against him and boldly declared his defiance and determination to
take horses wherever he could find them. But he was mistaken in
his man, for in less tlian ten minutes he was dangling from the
Washington County, 1777-1870. 277
limb of a large sycamore that stood upon the bank of the river, the
stump of which was to be seen a few years ago, and may be there
yet for aught the writer knows.*
After the sudden taking off of Fran^i^ Hopkins, as above detailed,
William Hopkins continued his depredations upon the Whig settlers
and resorted to arms, for which offence he also was arrested in the
year 1779 and committed to the gaol of this county for trial, but
escaped therefrom, whereupon, the court entered the following order
on the 16th day of June, 1779 :
"Washington county ss. On motion of Ephraim Dunlop, Deputy
Attorney for the Commonwealth, that the estate of William Hop-
kins, who had been taken and committed to the gaol of this county
for treasonable practices against the United States of America, in
taking up arms under the British Standard and who had broken the
gaol and escaped, be sold and the money deposited in the treasury, it
appearing to the court that the said Hopkins has no family, and
that he has no stated place of abode,
^'Ordered that the sheriff seize and sell all the estate of the said
Hopkins which shall be found in his bailiwick and that he keep
the money accruing from such sale in his hands until the General
Assembly shall determine how the said money is to be expended."
Ordered that the clerk of the court transmit this order to the
Speaker of the House of Delegates at the next session of the
Assembly.
The good citizens of the county organized themselves into bands
called "Eegulators," and patroled the county and meted out pun-
ishment to the offenders according to the enormity of their conduct.
The citizens, following the example of their leaders, adopted, in
dealing with Tory sympathizers, measures of such a character that
this county was comparatively free from Tory influences during the
entire war, and numbered among her citizens only such persons as
were willing and ready to offer their lives and property as a sacri-
fice on the altar of their country. And so strong and healthy was
the Whig settlement in this county, in the 5^ears 1778-1779, that
numbers of our citizens were called upon to assist in suppressing
an uprising of the Tory sympathizers in the county of Montgomery.
The mode of procedure adopted by our Eevolutionary fathers, in
dealing with tliis matter, may not meet with the approval of some
♦Charles B. Coale.^
278 Southwest Virginia, 17J,6-1786.
at this day, but it is evident to the student of our history, that the
methods used were the most effective in dealing with the unprin-
cipled men who had chosen, with the assistance of the Indians, tO'
commit all manner of depredations and outrages upon the frontier
settlements.
In the county of Montgomery, persuasion and good treatment
were used on this character of citizens and resulted in what might
be termed an insurrection, a deplorable state of affairs that could
not be remedied without the assistance of the patriots of Washing-
ton county and the application of their methods in the premises.
In Washington county stern justice was meted out speedily and
effectively, to all violators of the law, Avhich policy was approved by
the body politic and had the desired effect.
In the month of July, 1777, the Government of Virginia decided
to appoint a superintendent or Indian Agent for the Cherokee
Indians, which position was conferred upon Captain Joseph Mar-
tin, and the agency was located at the Long Island in Holston
river. Captain Martin, upon his appointment as Indian Agent,
proceeded to build a large store house on the island, for the purpose
of depositing such goods as the government might send out for the
Indians and for the accommodation of the Indians when at Long
Island on business with the Indian Agent.
Daniel Boone, in March, 1775, undertook to mark out for a num-
ber of North Carolina gentlemen a road from Watauga, Tennessee,
through the wilderness to Kentucky, which he did. The road
marked out by Boone, at this time, was from the Watauga settle-
ment near Elizabethton (Tennessee), to the Cumberland Gap, and,
from the Gap, it followed the Indian trace known as "the War-
rior's Path," about fifty miles, where it left the "Warrior's Path,"
bearing to the west to the "Hazel Patch" and to Pock Castle river.
From Eock Castle river the road passed through the present county
of Madison (Kentucky) and on to the Kentucky river, at the moutli
of Otter creek. About one mile below the moutli of this creek,
Boone established headquarters and erected a fort, and called it
Boonesborough. Boone was followed by a large company in charge
of Eichard Henderson, who claimed to own all the lands between
the Ohio and the Cumberland rivers, l)y purchase from the Chero-
kee Indians, to which country he had given the name of Transyl-
vania. Benjamin Logan with a company of men from the Wolf Hills,
Washington County, 1777-1870. 279
(now Abingdon), joined Colonel Henderson in Powell's Valley, and
the two companies traveled together as far as Eockcastle river in
Kentucky, where Logan, not approving of Colonel Henderson's pre-
tensions or plans, left Henderson and traveled westwardly in the
direction of the Crab Orchard, and when he had reached the level
land he halted and built a fort which he called "Logan's Port."
In this year, a large number of emigrants began to travel into
Kentucky, seeking homes, and, by the month of July, a considerable
body of people had gathered at Boone's Port and Logan's Port.
On the 4th day of July, 1777, one hundred Indians appeared
before Logan's Port and laid siege to it, which siege continued
until the month of September. When the siege had lasted foT
some time. Captain Benjamin Logan, with a number of friends,
slipped out of the fort by night and began an exceedingly hard and
dangerous trip to the settlements on Holston, to procure supplies for
the foTt and reinforcements against the Indians. They traveled by
night and lay by during the day ; but, finally reaching the Holston
at Wolf Hills, they secured powder and the assistance of forty rifle-
men, and returned to the fort within ten days.
The riflemen from the Holston settlenuents were under the
command of Colonel John Bowman. Many of the men who went
to the rescue of their relatives and fellow-citizens in Kentucky at
this time subsequently made their homes in Kentucky, and Ben-
jamin Logan became a great man in the new State.
The road thus marked by Daniel Boone and Benjamin Logan
continued to be the passageway of many hundreds of settlers and
emigrants on their way to Kentucky until the year 1781, although
it was nothing more than a mere path or trace.
By the 3^ear 1779 great numbers of people were emigrating to
and settling to the westward of the Cumberland mountains. In
this year the General Assembly of Virginia passed an act for mark-
ing and opening a road over the Cumberland mountains into the
county of Kentucky. The act in question appointed Evan Shelby
and Eichard Calloway commissioners to explore the country adja-
cent to and on both sides of the Cumberland mountains, and to
trace and mark the most convenient road from the settlements on
the east side of the mountains over the same into the open coun-
try into the county of Kentucky, and to cause such road, with all
convenient dispatch to be opened and cleared in such manner as
380 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
to give par^sage to travelers with pack-horses for the present;, and to
report to the next session of the Assembly the distance, the prac-
ticability and the cost of completing and making the same a good
wagon road. The act further j^rovided that should the said Evan
Shelby or Eichard Calloway refuse or be unable to act, then the
County Court of their residence should appoint his or their succes-
sor. It provided also that a guard of not more than fifty men from
the county most convenient should attend said commissioners while
locating this road.
Colonel Evan Shelby declined to act as commissioner, pursuant
to the act of the Assembly above mentioned, and the County Court
of Washington county, in which he lived, on June 20, 1780, en-
tered the following order :
"Ordered that Captain John Kinkead be appointed in the room
of Colonel Evan Shelby, who has refused to act agreeably to the
Act of Assembly for marking and opening a road over the Cum-
berland mountains into the county of Kentucke."
This appointment Captain Kinlcead accepted, and, along with
Captain Calloway, effected the opening of a road through the
Cumberland mountains to Kentucky, and on the first day of De-
cember, 1781, a petition of John Kinkead was presented to the
General Assembly of Virginia "setting forth that agreeably to ap-
pointment of the County Court of Washington he, in conjunction
with the other commissioner, proceeded to and effected the open-
ing of a road through the Cumberland mountains to Kentucky,
and praying to be paid for the service."
The road thus located by Captains Kinkead and Calloway, be-
came what was known as the "Wilderness Eoad," and for twenty
years subsequent thereto was the principal highway traveled by
an immense train of emigrants to the West. This road passed
through Abingdon, and that the present generation may be able
to locate this road, I give the stopping points, with the distances
between, along the road from Inglis' Ferry at New river to Cum-
berland Gap :
Washington County, 1777-1870. ^ 281
Miles. Miles.
*From Hand's Meadow to To Moccasin Gap 5
Inglis' Ferry at New Eiver 12 To Clinch Eiver 11
To Fort Chiswell 30 To Ford Stock Creek 2
To Atkins' Ordinary 19 To Little Flat Lick 5
To Mid. Fork Holston. . . — To North Fork Clinch 1
To Cross White's, Mont- To Powell's Mountain 1
gomery 3 To Wallen's Eidge 5
To Col. Arthur Campbell's 3 To Valley Station 5
To 7-mile Ford of Holston 6 To Powell's Eiver 2
To Major Dysart's Mill.. 12 To Glade Spring 4
To Washington Courthouse 10 To Martin's Station 19
To Head Eeedy Creek, Sul- To Big Spring 12
livan county, N. C 20 To Cumberland Mountain
To Block House 13 Gap 8
To North Fork of Holston 2
Thomas Speed traveled this same route in the year 1790, and
gives the names of the stopping points with the distances between :
Miles.
IngHs' Ferry 20
To Carter's 13
To Fort Chiswell 12
To the Stone Mill 11
To Adkins' 16
To Eussell Place 16
To Greenway's 14
To Washington Co. House 6
To the Block House 35
Miles.
To Farriss's 5
To Clinch Eiver 12
To Scott's Station 12
To Cox's at Powell's Eiver 10
To Martin's Station 2
To
To Cumberland Mountain 3
To Cumberland Eiver. ... 15
At this time five ferries were maintained across New river in
Southwest Virginia by land owners, toi-wit: William Inglis,
Samuel Pepper, Cornelius Brown, Thomas Herbert and Austin &
Co., for the accommodation of travelers and emigrants, and the
General Assembly fixed the toll at four cents for each man and
four cents for each horse ferried.
Cliief-Justice Eobertson, of Kentucky, in speaking of the land
law enacted for Kentucky by the General Assembly of Virginia
*Win. Brovra's MSS.
Washington County, 1777-1870. 283
in the year 1779, and of the emigration which took place in that
year, used the following language :
"This heneficent enactment hrought to the country during the
fall and winter of that year an unexampled tide of emigrants, who,
exchanging all the comforts of their native society and homes for
settlements for themselves and children liere, came, like pilgrims,
to a wilderness to be made secure by their arms and habitable by
the toil of their lives. Through privations incredible and ^perils
thick, thousands of men, women and children came in successive
caravans, forming continuous streams of human beings, horses,
cattle and other domestic animals, all moving onward along a
lonely and houseless path to a wild and cheerless land. Cast your
eyes back on that long procession of missionaries in the cause of
civilization ; behold the men on foot with their trusty guns on their
shol^lde^s, driving stock and leading pack-horses; and the women,
some walking with pails on their heads, others riding with chil-
dren in their laps, and other children hung in baskets on horses,
fastened to the tails of others going before; see them encamped
at night expecting to be massacred by Indians ; behold them in
tlie month of December, in that ever memorable season of unpre-
cedented cold called the "hard winter," traveling two or three
miles a day, frequently in danger of being frozen or killed by the
falling of horses on the icy and almost impassable trace, and sub-
sisting on stinted allowances of stale bread and meat ; but now,
lastly, look at them at the destined fort, perhaps on the eve of
Merry Christmas, when met by the hearty welcome of friends who
had come before, and, cheered by the fresh Iniffalo meat and
parched corn, they rejoice at their deliverance and resolve to be
contented with their lot."
It was by this route and in this manner that many of our citi-
zens traveled to their new homes in Kentucky and throughout the
West, and it was for the protection of travelers on this route that
the county officials of Washington county, Virginia, expended a
great deal of effort and money, the Indians, for many years sub-
sequent to 1775, waylaying this route, murdering the emigrants
and stealing their horses and plunder.
The ministers of the Gospel, being Presbyterian in belief, kept
step with the advance of the settlers upon the frontiers. The set-
tlements had scarcely reached the vicinity of Jonesboro, Tennes-
284 Southwest Virginia, 17^6-1786.
see, when Rev. Samuel Doak, a Presbyterian minister, who had
been educated at Princeton, with great energy and with a deter-
mination to make his home on the frontiers, appeared upon the
scene, after having walked through Maryland and Virginia, driv-
ing before him a horse loaded with books. He was greatly appre-
ciated by the people among whom he had cast his lot, and he, in
turn, exercised a "wonderful influence upon tlie early settlers of
East Tennessee.
In this year, 1777, through the influence of this preacher, a
Presbyterian log church was erected near Jonesboro, Tennessee,
to which was given the name of "Salem Church." Near this
church soon thereafter he erected a school-house which afterwards
became Washington College, this church and school being the
first erected in the State of Tennessee.
On the 26th day of November, 1777, the county court of this
county proceeded to make a statement of the county levy for the
year 1777, which statement was as follows:
"To Abraham Goodpasture, for building the
prison, £450
To Samuel Evans, for building a house to hold
court in.
To John Coulter for laying off the lots of the
town.
To Clerk for ex officio services, Tobacco, 1,000 lbs.
To Clerk, for public services, Tobacco, 1,300 lbs.
To a blank record book and alphabet, £5
To carriage for do. from Williamsburg, 7s. 6d.
To Wm. Young, for old Wolf Head,
To the Sheriff, for ex officio services.
To Sheriff, for whole of his public services,. . . .Tobacco, 12,000 lbs.
To building of pillory and stocks.
By 890 tithables, at 8s., £356
To Hugh Berry, for making 1,760 nails for
cO'Urthouse roof, £5
To G. Martin, for making irons for criminals.
From an inspection of this county levy, it will be seen that our
first county government was very frugal and economical. Many
readers will not understand how it was that a part of the county
Washington County, 1777-1870. 285
expenses was paid in tobacco. The explanation is that^ in those
early days, money was exceedingly scarce, and the House of Bur-
gesses of Virginia, as early as the year 1772, enacted a law per-
mitting the inhabitants of this section of Virginia to discharge
all secretaries', clerks' and other officers' fees in tobacco at the rate
of eight shillings and four pence for every hundredweight of gross
tobacco. And this law remained in force for a decade thereafter.
The Governor of Virginia, on the 23d day of July, 1777, issued
a new commission of the peace and dedimus for this county,
directed to
\
Arthur Campbell, Evan Shelby,
^ William Campbell, Daniel Smith,
\7illiam Edmiston, John Campbell,
Joseph Martin, Alexander BuchaDan,
James Dysart, Jolm Kinkead,
John Anderson, James Montgomery,
John Coulter, John Snoddy,
George Blackburn, Thomas Mastin,
Isaac Shelby, Robert Craig,
John Dunkin, John Adair,
Gilbert Christian, Thomas Caldwell,
and, on the 25th day of November, 1777, this commission was
"produced and read, and, thereupon, pursuant to the said dedimus,
the said Arthur Campbell took the oath of a justice of the peace
and a justice of the County Court in chancery, all of which oaths
were administered to him by John Kinkead. Thereupon, the said
Arthur Campbell administered the same oaths to:
John Kinkead, James Montgomery,
John Coidter, Robert Craig,
John Dunkin,
and thus was constituted the second County Court for Washington
county.
In the fall of this year. General George Rogers Clark traveled
from Kentucky over the "Wilderness Road," on his way to Rich-
mond, in company with a young lawyer by the name of John
Gabriel Jones, and reached Mump's Fort in Powell's Valley about
ten days subsequent to the killing, by the Indians, of a settler by the
286 Southwest Virginia, 17^6-1786.
name of Parks. In traveling through tJiis portion of Virginia,
he usually stopped at the nearest house when dark overtook him,
for which he usually paid, at the small cabins, a shilling and six-
pence for breakfast, bed and feed for horse. On his way he became
acquainted with Captain William Campbell, whom he found a very
agreeable companion.
The object of this journey to Richmond on the part of General
Clark was to secure the approval of the Governor of a plan that he
then conceived to be feasible and that would be of gi-eat value to
the American Colonies. He sought the consent and assistance of
the Governor in equipping and carrying on an expedition against
the British posts at Vincennes and Kaskaskia in the Illinois county ;
and there can be but little doubt that he discussed this question
with Captain Campbell, at the time of his visit to Holston.
He succeeded in obtaining the consent and authority of the
Governor to enlist three hundred and fifty men from the counties
west of the Alleghany mountains, to be used upon this expedition,
of which number four companies were to be raised in the Holston
and Clinch settlements, and Major W. B. Smith was dispatched,
in the year 1778, to recruit men for that service in this section.
There seems to be a conflict among historians as to the number
of men raised in this section by Major Smith for this service, one
giving the number as amounting to four companies; another, as^
one company.
The men recruited for this service were not informed of the pur-
pose for wliich they were intended, until they had reached the falls
of the Ohio (now Louisville).
The company of recruits from the Holston settlements did not
suppose, when they entered the service, that they were to be taken
upon such a long and dangerous expedition, and when they were
informed of the purpose for which they were to be used, they
objected to proceeding any further and left the camp of General
Clark and returned to their homes. This is the one disagreeable
circumstance connected with the history of our people. These men
were recruited from a country where the people were brave and
adventurous, and it is hard to account for their conduct upon this
occasion. We are sorry to state that, by their conduct, they deprived
this portion of Virginia of the honor of sharing in the wonderful
expedition and conquests of General Clark.
Washington County, 1777-1870. 387
While the company, as a whole, refused to go upon this expedi-
tion, a few of the men joined other companies and took part in the
expedition; and their names, so far as I have been able to gather
them, are as follows :
Low Brown, John Lasly,
Solomon Stratton, Xealy McGuire,
William Peery.
Supplies for this expedition were purchased upon the Holston,
as is evidenced by an order of the court entered on the 17th day of
Maj'ch, 1779, which order is as follows:
■'Whereas twenty-six forty dollar bills were found in the pos-
session of Captain Thomas Quirk, and, on the examination of the
court of Washington county, were supposed to be counterfeit, the
said Captain Quirk delivered the said bills to the sheriff in the
presence of the court, and it appears by the oath of the said
Thomas Quirk and Andrew Colvill that the said Thomas Quirk
receiver] these bills of James Buchanan, commissary for the Illi-
nois service, tO' purchase bacon. Whereupon', it is ordered that the
sheriff take or send the said bills to the Board of Auditors for
further proceedings, according to law. A list of the bills is given,
which bills are signed by D. Summers and G. Brown and dated
April 11, 1778."
At the election held for Washington county in the spring of
the 3'ear 1778, Arthur Campbell and Anthony Bledsoe were
elected members of the House of Delegates, and William Fleming,
of Botetourt, a member of the Senate, in the General Assembly
of Virginia.
In the spring of this year. Captain James Dysart and Lieutenant
Samuel Newell were placed in command of two companies of mili-
tia to range, during the summer, along the frontiers in Powell's
and Clinch A^alleys, as a protection against the Indians. Early in
the month of May, before the departure of these ranging parties,
a man by the name of Whitesides, a large, active man, left his
home near Elk Garden Fort for Glade Hollow Fort, where he had
a horse running on the range. While hunting for his horse about
two miles from Glade Hollow Fort, he was captured by nine
Indians, who pinioned his arms back, loaded him with their extra
phmder and some meat cut from the carcass of a dead horse, and
288 Southwest Virginia, nJ^6-1786.
in this marmer skulked about for several days, watching for an
opportunity to attack Glade Hollow Fort, which was in a wretched
state of defence, seven men only being in the fort.*
These men were engaged daily in bringing salt-petre dust from
a cave at some distance from the fort, to make salt-petre, upon the
discovery of which, the Indians resolved to take the fort the next
time the men went out.
They tied Whitesides' feet and left an Indian to guard him,
while the others sought a more convenient place to attack the fort
when occasion offered.
In the meantime the Indian who had charge of Whitesides,
thinking they were too much exposed to view, untied his feet and
made him creep further into the brush and, laying down his gun,
sat down before Whitesides to tie his feet again. At that moment,
Whitesides seized the gun, and, although his arms were pinioned,
gave the Indian such a blow over the head as broke the gun to
pieces and felled the Indian to the ground and, perhaps, killed him.
Whitesides then sprang to his feet and gave the alarm to the men
near the fort, who ran back to the fort with all speed, but
Whitesides ran past the fort towards the Elk Garden fort,
carrying all the Indian's plunder on his back. The eight
Indians who were waylaying the fort, hearing the alarm,
ran back, and finding their companion, perhaps lifeless, pur-
sued Whitesides; and while doing so, met about forty men in
plain view of the fort, on their way to act as rangers; on
whom the Indians fired and killed two. The rest fled ingloriously,
each one in his way, spreading the alarm that the fort was taken.
Upon receipt of this news at Black's Fort, Captain Samuel Newell,
with eighteen men set off for Glade Hollow Fort. They ran
about twelve miles that evening and waded the North Fork of
Holston just before night, but were forced to stop when night set
in, as they had no trace they could follow in the night, and, in
many places the weeds and grass were waist high. They arrived in
view of the fort next morning between eight and nine o'clock, and
upon reconnoitering, found the fort had not been taken. When the
occupants of the fort saw them, they ran out to meet them. The
next day, Captain James Dysart, with eighteen men, arrived at the
fort.
*Beiijainin Sharp Letter, American Pioneer.
Workington County, 1777-1870. 389
During the same year, in the lower end of this county, a young
man by the name of Fulkerson was killed when driving up his horses
from the range, and Thomas Sharp was fired at and badly wounded,
but, being on horseback, he made his escape and recovered from
his wounds. Jacob Fulkerson and a young man by the name of
Callahan were both killed this year, while hunting their cattle in
the range.
On the 23d day of April, 1778, the court entered the following
order :
"Ordered that Colonel William Campbell be appointed to dis-
tribute the county salt to the most necessitous of the frontier
inhabitants of Clinch and the lower settlements of Washington
county below the mouth of the ISTorth Fork, such a quantity
reserving as he shall judge sufScient for the militia on duty, also
selling at such rate as will be suflficient to discharge the first cost
and expenses."
"Ordered that Isaac Lebo be permitted to go towards the Mora-
vian Town for salt, and that he return within the term of three
weeks."
Isaac Lebo is one of the same men that had, previously to tliis
time, been arrested, tried and convicted of treasonable practices
against the Commonwealth, and this, no doubt, was an excuse
offered by him for an opportunity to communicate with his Tory
friends in the South.
On the 21st day of May, 1778, Samuel Newell qualified as Deputy
Sheriff for the county and gave and filed a bond for the due col-
lection and accounting for the taxes of the county of Washington,
and entered upon his duties as first tax collector for the county,
under the law of Virginia. It was the duty of the County Court
to recommend to the Governor the names of the three magistrates
named first in the Commission of Peace, from which list the Gov-
ernor commissioned a sheriff for the county, and on the 20th day
of April, 1778, the court recommended Arthur Campbell, William
Campbell and Daniel Smith as fit and proper persons to execute
the office of sheriff for the county of Washington. From this list
the Governor commissioned Arthur Campbell as sheriff of the
county, and he qualified as such on the 16th day of February, 1779,
with Evan Shelby, Andrew Willoughby and Andrew Kincannon
as his securities. During this and the succeeding year, the follow-
290 Southivest Virginia, 1746-1786.
ing gentlemen qualified as deputy sheriffs of the count}'; Samuel
Newell, Christopher Acklin and Alexander Donaldson.
At the March court 1779, Harry Innes and Eowland Madison
qualified to practice law in the courts of the county. Harry Innes
afterwards moved to the county of Kentucky, where he became
distinguished in the annals of that State. At the same term of
the court, Daniel Smith, Robert Craig and John Campbell were
appointed commissioners of the tax, the land owners having failed
to attend and elect commissioners. At this term of the court, David
Campbell resigned his position as Clerk of the Court, and John
Campbell was appointed to succeed him, which position he occupied
until the year 1824, during which time he faithfully discharged
his duties and retained the respect and confidence of the people of
this county. David Campbell, who resigned his position as Clerk
of the Court on the 15th day of August, 1780, obtained a commis-
sion from His Excellency, Thomas Jefferson, appointing him attor-
ney-at-law, and qualified as such in the court of this county, but,
soon thereafter, he removed to Campbell's Station, Tennessee, in
Avhich State he won distinction in his profession and became the
first Chief Justice of that State.
From the orders of the court at this term, it appears that Samuel
Evans had not completed the courthouse, pursuant to contract, and
Joseph Black was directed to agree with Evans as to the amount
he should receive for the work that he had done upon the court-
house; and the sheriff was directed to agree with some person to
finish the courthouse.
At the April term ol this court, a statement of the county levy
was made for the year 1779, which is as follows:
"Ephraim Dunlop, for services as State's Attorney for the
year 1777 and for the year 1778, £200.00
Abraham Goodpasture, for building prison, 500.00
Samuel Evans, for building courthouse, 100.00
Abraham Goodpasture, finishing courthouse, 100.00
Arthur Campbell, for three blank books for the Clerk,. . 15.00
To do. for the body of the law for use of the Court, 5. '
To do. for cash paid Hugh Berry, nails courthouse, 5.
To do. for 60 lbs. iron furnished for nails courthouse, .... 5.
To window glass for courthouse, 12 lights @ 9s., . 5.8
To do. for ex officio services for 1777-1778, 15.0
Washington County, 1777-1870.
291
Allowed for pillory and stocks, 75.0
By 1464 tithables @ 15s. per titliable, 1,098.9
At this same court the following order was entered :
"Ordered that the main road be cut according to report of
Joseph Black, Andrew Colvill and James Piper, viewers from
the courthouse to the Twenty-llile creek, and that Andrew Colvill
be surveyor from the courthouse to the west side of Spring creek,
and that the tithables formerly ordered work upon the same."
The Pillory — Used in this Section in the Earl_y Days.
The road was opened pursuant to this order, the location of
which was about the same as tliat of the present road from Abing-
don to Papersville, Tennessee.
At the May term of court, 1779, tlu^ Attorney for the Common-
wealth filed an information against John Yancy, a citizen and hotel
keeper, living ia the town of Abingdon, charging him with the
offence of enclosing his sheep in the courthouse, upon which inform-
ation divers witnesses were sworn and examined, and the defendant
heard in his defence, whereu})on, the court fined the defendant
twenty shillings and the costs.
At the same court, the prison erected by Abraham Goodpasture
was, by order of the court, used, but not received. On the same
day the court entered the following order :
"Ordered that David Carson and Joseph. Black lay off the prison
293 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
bounds, exceeding five acres and not more than ten, and take in the
water, and David Carson was paid six pounds for his services."
On the 19th day of August the court entered the following order :
"Ordered that Arthur Campbell, Anthony Bledsoe, Daniel Smith,
Joseph Black and John Blackamore be appointed examiners of the
bills of credit of this State and the other United States, agreeably
to the act of the Assembly entitled "An Act for more effectually
guarding against counterfeiting of the Bills of Credit, Treasury
Notes and Loan OflSce certificates."
In the early summer of this year, the Tories living near the head
of the Yadkin river, North Carolina, and on New river and Walk-
er's creek in Montgomery county, Virginia, began to form into a
body, with the intention of destroying the Lead Mines on New
river, robbing the well affected citizens of that county, and then
forcing their way to the headquarters of Lord Cornwallis, who was
at that time in the Carolinas. There was every prospect that an
insurrection would take place, and, notwithstanding the untiring
efforts of Colonel William Preston, the county-lieutenant of that
county, he was unable to quiet the disaffected, or to protect the well-
disposed citizens. As a last resort Colonel Preston called upon the
officials of Washington county for assistance, when Captain William
Campbell, with about one hundred and fifty militia from this
county, all well mounted, turned out and proceeded to suppress this,
a new kind of enemy to the people of Washington county. The
name of Captain Campbell was such as to strike consternation into
the ranlc of the Tories, who dispersed upon his approach and
offered no open resistance. The militia from this county were then
dispatched in small detachments and had active business for several
weeks pursuing, taking and imprisoning Tories. The militia sub-
sisted themselves and their horses upon the grain and stock of the
Tories, and compelled all Tory sympathizers who were old and unfit
for service to give security for their good behavior, or to go to
jail. The young, effective men were pardoned on condition of their
serving as faithful soldiers in the armies of the United States
during the war, as an atonement for their crime. Colonel Camp-
bell and his men saw hard and active duty during this time, but
lost no lives nor had any of their men wounded.
Captain Campbell and his militia from this county were ably
seconded in their efforts to suppress the Tory sentiment then exist-
Washington County, 1777-1870. 393
ing in Montgomery, by Colonel Walter Crockett, Captain Charles
Lynch, Captain Robert Sayers and Captain Isaac Campbell. Cap-
tains Sayers and Campbell each commanded a company of men
numbering twenty-eight and thirty-five respectively, at this time,
and were not satisfied with a suppression of the Tories in Mont-
gomery county, but thereafter proceeded to perform the same
service in parts of Surrey and Wilkes counties. North Carolina.
Captain Campbell and his men, in dealing with the Tories of
Montgomery county, applied the same methods used so effectively
in Washington county, of which we give one instance, that the
reader may understand the methods used.
"There is a beautiful little valley known by the name of "Black
Lick," nestling among the mountains of Wythe county, which,
being remote from highways and environed by uninhabited forests,
afforded shelter for a number of Tories, who made frequent forays
upon the neighboring settlements and then concealed themselves in
this remote and quiet retreat. Their hiding place becoming dis-
covered, General Campbell's men surrounded it, captured about a
dozen and hung them upon two white oaks which; spared by the
woodman's ax for the righteous oflfice they had performed, were
still standing a few years ago, and were long loiown by the name
of the "Tory Trees."*
At the time in question. Captain Charles Lynch, of Bedford
county, was manager for the Commonwealth at the Lead Mines on
New river, and, as a result of the visit of Captain Campbell to
Montgomery county in this year, he thereafter adopted Campbell's
method of dealing with Tories and wrong-doers; and, ever after,
during the war, when any of the inhabitants were suspected of
wrong doing or treasonable conduct, they were dealt with accord-
ing to what was termed "Captain Lynch's Law," and from this man
and this occasion originated the term "Lynch Law," as it is prac-
tised throughout the nation, under peculiar circumstances, at this
day.
Upon the return of Captain Campbell and his men from Mont-
gomery county, considerable complaint was made by the Tory inhab-
itants of that section of Virginia, and efforts were made to prose-
cute Cam.pbell and his associates, but the Legislature of Virginia,
recognizing the valuable services of these patriots, in October of
*Chas. B. Coale.
294 Southwest Virginia, 171^6-1786.
that year passed an Act exempting them from all pains and pen-
alties by reason of their acts, which Act of the Assembly is as
follows :
"Whereas divers evil-disposed persons on the frontiers of this
Commonwealth had broken out into an open insurrection and con-
spiracy and actually levied war against the Commonwealth, and it is
represented to the present General Assembly that William Camp-
bell, Walter Crockett and other liege subjects of the Common-
wealth, aided by detachments of the militia and volunteers from the
county of Washington and other parties of the frontiers did by their
timely -and effectual exertion suppress and defeat such conspiracy ;
and whereas the necessary measures taken for that purpose may not
be strictly warranted by law, although justifiable from the imme-
diate urgency and imminences of the danger; be it therefore
declared and enacted, That the said William Campbell, Walter
Crockett and all other persons whatsoever concerned in suppressing
the said conspiracy and insurrection, or in advising, issuing or
executing any orders or measures taken for that purpose stand
indemnified and clearly exonerated of and from all pains, penalties,
prosecutions, actions, suits and damages on account thereof; and
that if any indictment, prosecution, action or suit shall be laid or
brought against them, or any of them, for any act or thing
done therein, the defendant or defendants may plead in bar, or the
general issue, and give this act in evidence."*
In the summer of this year, at the instigation of British agents.
Dragging Canoe and his band of Indians, living at Chickamauga,
were induced to undertake a campaign against the Virginia and
Carolina frontiers. While making preparations for the campaign,
James Eobertson, ^\\\o was then at Chote, received information of
their intended invasion and immediately informed the leaders on
the Ilolston. Upon the receipt of this information it was decided
that the militia of the twO' governments should unite, and carry
on an active expedition against tlicse Indians. Colonel Evan
Shelby, of Sapling Grove (now Bristol), was selected to command
the expedition. The forces from the two States assembled at the
mouth of Big Creek on the Clinch river (near Rogersville, Ten-
nessee), on April 10, 1779, Captain Isaac Shelby being in command
of the forces from Washington county, Virginia. At this point the
*10 Hening Statutes, page 195.
Washington County, 1777-1870. 295
entire army, consisting of several liundred men, volunteers from the
settlements, and a regiment of twelve-months' men, under the com-
mand of Captain John Montgomery, intended as a reinforcement
to General Clark in tlie Illinois, temporarily diverted from that
object for use in this campaign, embarked in canoes and boats, and
descended the Tennessee river to the home of the Chickamoggas.
The Indians were completely taken by surprise and fled in all
directions to the hills and mountains, not offering any resistance.
Forty Indians, at least, were killed, and their towns were destroyed,
their horses and cattle driven away, and their corn and provisions,
as well as twenty thousand pounds in value of stores and goods,
carried off. Thereupon, the troops destroyed their boats and canoes
and returned to their homes on foot. Thus it was that one of the
cherished hopes of the British ministry was foiled and the prospects
of the Colonies exceedingly enhanced.
Colonel Shelby, while making preparations to conduct this expe-
dition against the Indians at Chickamogga, dispatched Jolui Do'Ug-
lass to the settlements on Clinch river, pursuant to the orders of
Colonel Russell, but Douglas was waylaid and killed by the Indians
and his horse ridden off.
When the expedition against the Chickamogga Indians was
decided upon, Colonel Evan Shelby dispatched John Hutson to the
Indian town with letters to Colonel Joseph Martin, advising him
to remove from the Indian country to the Great Island, agreeably
to the Governor's instructions, but, unfortimately, Hutson was
drowned in the execution of that business, and his widow, Eleanor
Hutson was allowed by the General Assembly at its fall session in
the year 1779, the sum of twenty-four pounds for the present relief
of herself and cliildren, and twelve pounds per annum during her
widowhood.
"In the summer of 1779, the Indians visited the home of Jesse
Evans, who lived near the head waters of the Clinch river, and
destroyed his family. On the morning of the day in question, Jesse
Evans left his honse, with five or six hired men, for the purpose of
executing some work at a distance from home. As they carried with
them various farming implements, their guns were left at the
house, where Mrs. Evans was engaged in weaving a piece of cloth.
Her oldest daughter was filling quills for her wliile the four remain-
296 Southwest Virginia, 17^6-1786.
ing children were either at play in the garden or gathering vege-
tables.
The garden was about sixty yards from, the house, and, as no saw-
mills were in existence at that day in this country, slab-boards were
put up in a manner called "wattling" for palings. These were some
six feet long and made what is called a close fence. Eight or ten
Indians, who lay concealed in a thicket near the garden, silently left
their hiding places and made their way, unobserved, to the back of
the garden. There, removing a few boards, they bounded through
and commenced the horrid work of killing and scalping the chil-
dren. The first warning Mrs. Evans had was their screams and
cries. She ran to the door and beheld the sickening scene, with
such feelings as only a mother can experience.
Mrs. Evans was a stout, athletic woman, and, being inured to the
hardships of the times, with her to will was to do. She saw plainly
that on her exertions alone could one spark of hope be entertained
for the life of her "first born." An unnatural strength seemed to
nerve her arm and she resolved to defend her surviving child to
the last extremity. Eushing into the house she closed the door,
which being too small, left a crevice, through which in a few
moments an Indian extended his gun, aiming to pry open the door
and finish the bloody work which had been so fearfully begun. Mrs.
Evans had thrown herself against the door to prevent the entrance
of the savages, but no sooner did she see the gun barrel than she
seized it and drew it in so far as to make it an available lever in
prying to the door. The Indians threw themselves against the door
to force it open, but their efi'orts were unavailing. The heroic
woman stood to her post, well knowing that her life depended upon
her own exertions. The Indians now endeavored to wrest the gun
from her; in this they likewise failed. Hitherto she had worked in
silence, but as she saw no prospect of the Indians relinquishing their
object, she began to call loudly for her husband, as if he were really
near. It had the desired effect; they let go the gun and hastily
left the house, while Mrs. Evans sat quietly down to await a second
attack, but the Indians, who had perhaps seen Mr. Evans and his
workmen leave the house, feared he might be near, and made off
with all speed.
While Mrs. Evans was thus sitting and brooding over the melan-
choly death of her children, anxious to go to those in the garden, but
Washington County, 1777-1870. 297
fearing to leave her surviving one in the house, exposed to a second
attack, a man named Goldsby stepped up to the door. Never did
manna fall to the hungered Jew more opportunely, yet no sooner did
he hear her woful tale than he turned his back upon her and fled
as if every tree and bush had been an Indian taking deadly aim at
him. Such were his exertions to get to a place of greater safety that
he brought on hemorrhage of the lungs, from which he with much
difficulty recovered.
Seeing herself thus left to the mercy of the savages, Mrs. Evans
took up the gun she had taken from them and started with her
remaining daughter to Major John Taylor^s, about two miles dis-
tant, where, tired and frenzied with grief, she arrived in safety.
She had not been gone a great while, when Mr. Evans returned and,
not suspecting anything wrong, took down a book, and was engaged
in its perusal for some time, till finally he became impatient and
started to the garden, where he supposed Mrs. Evans was gathering
vegetables. What must have been his feelings when he reached the
garden to see four of his children murdered and scalped. Seeing
nothing of his wife and eldest daughter, he supposed they had been
taken prisoners; he therefore returned quickly to the house, seized
his gun and started for Major Taylor's to get assistance and a com-
pany to follow on and try, if possible, to overtake them. Frantic
with grief he rushed into the house to tell his tale of woe, when he
was caught in the arms of his brave wife. His joy at finding them
was so great that he could scarcely contain himself; he wept, then
laughed, then thanked God it was no worse. As is common in
such cases in a new country, the neighbors flocked in to know the
worst, and to offer such aid as lay in their power. They S5mipathized
as only frontiersmen can sympathize, with the bereaved parents ;
but the thought of having to bury four children the next morning
was so shocking and so dreadful to reflect on, that but little peace
was to be expected for them. Slowly the reluctant hours of night
passed away, and a faint gleam of light became visible in the east-
ern sky. The joyous warblers were gayly flitting from branch to
branch and carrolling their sweetest lays, while the sun rose above
the mountain summit, shooting his bright beams on the sparkling
dewdrops which hung like so many diamonds from the green boughs
of the mountain shrubbery, giving, altogether, an air of gorgeous
beauty which seemed to deny the truth ol the evening's tale. The
298 Southwest Virginia, 17J,6-17S6.
light clouds swimming in the eastern atmosphere, brilliantly tinted
with the rising sun,
And the gentle murmur of the morning breeze,
Singing nature's anthem to the forest trees,
seemed to say sneh horrid work could not be done by beings wear-
ing human form. But alas! while nature teaches naught but love,
men teach themselves lessons which call forth her sternest frowns.
A hasty breakfast was prepared and the men set otf to IMr. Evans's
house tO' bury the murdered children. With a heart too full for
■utterance, the father led the way, as if afraid to look at those little
forms for whose happiness he had toiled, and braved the dangers
of a frontier life. But a day ago he had dandled them on his knees,
and listened to their innocent prattle ; they were now monuments of
Indian barbarity.
Turning a hill the fatal garden was instantly ]iainted on the
retina of the fond parent's eye, to be quickly (M-ased l)y the silent
tears wdiich overflowed their fountain and came trickling down
his weather beaten face.
The party came up to the l)ack of th(> house at the front of which
stood the milk-house, over a spring of clear water, when, lo ! they
beheld coming up, as it were from the very depth of the grave, Mary,
a little child only four years old, who had recovered from the stun-
ning blow of the tomahawk and had been in (|uest of water at the
familiar old spring around which, but a day before, she had sported
in childish glee. The scalp that had been torn from the skull was
hanging hideously over her ])ale face,which was much besmeared
with blood. Rhe stretclied out her little arms to meet her father,
who rushed to her with all the wild joy of one whose heart beats
warm with parental emotions ! She had wandered about in the
dark from the time she had recovered and, it may be, had more than
once tried to wake her little sisters on whose heads the tomahawks
had fallen with greater force. This poor, half-nnirdered little child
lived, married and raised a largo family."*
In the spring of the year 1779, at the election held for members
of the General Assembly of Virginia, Isaac Shelby and David
Campbell were elected and served the people of Washington county
for this year. During this year General E. Clarke, of Georgia, was
compelled to take refuge in the settlements on Watauga and Hol^
*Bickley's History of Tazewell.
Washington County, 1777-1S70. 299
ton, and, while in the settlements, repeated to the hardy frontiers-
men many of the dastardly deeds committed by the British forces in
their invasion and subjugation of South Carolina and Georgia.
As a result, many of the citizens of these settlements returned with
him to his home in Georgia to assist in avenging the wrongs of
their fellow countrymen and, in addition thereto, creating through-
out Southwestern Virginia and the Holston settlements a lively
interest in the affairs to the south of the settlements.
The officials of Washington county, Virginia, from the first organ-
ization of the county until this time, had, without question, exer-
cised their authority as low down as Carter's Valley, upon the sup-
position that all that portion of the country was in Virginia, but,
on the 30th day of September in this year, an occurrence took
place in Carter's Valley, lietween William Cocke, lately a represen-
tative from Washington county in the I^egislature of Virginia, and
Alexander Donaldson, a deputy for Arthur Campbell, that resulted
in greatly curtailing the territory included within this county. The
circumstances connected with this transaction are best stated by
the order of the County Court of Washington county, Virginia,
entered on the 20th of October, 1779, which is as follows:
"The complaint of the sheriff against William Cocke for insulting
and obstructing Alexander Donaldson, deputy sheriff, when col-
lecting the public tax about the thirteenth day of September last,
and being examined saith ; that, being at a point on the north side
of Holston river in Carter's Valley, collecting the public tax, the
said William Cocke, as he came to the door of the house in which
said sheriff was doing business, said that there was the sheriff of
Virginia collecting the tax, and asked him what right he had to
collect taxes there, as it was in Carolina and never was in Virginia ;
that he said the people were fools if they did pay him public dues,
and that he dared him to serve any process whatever ; that he, said
Cocke, undertook for the people, upon which sundry people refused
to pay their tax and some, that had paid, wanted their money back
again."
"Ordered that the conduct of William Cocke respecting the
obstructing, insulting and threatening the sheriff in the execution
of his office be represented to the Executive of Virginia.
"Ordered that if William Cocke be found in this county that he
be taken into custody and caused to appear before the justices at the
300 Southwest Virginia, 17^6-1786.
next court to answer for his conduct for obstructing the sheriff in
execution of his oflBce."
As a result of this difficulty, the General Assembly of Virginia
and North Carolina at their sessions, in the year 1779, appointed Dr.
Thomas Walker and Daniel Smith, on the part of Virginia, and
Richard Henderson and William B. Smith, on the part of North
Carolina, commissioners, to run the line between the two States,
beginning where Fry and Jefferson and Weldon and Churton ended
their work, near Steep Eock creek, if found to be truly in latitude
36 degrees 30 minutes North, and to run thence due west to the
Tennessee or the Ohio river. The commissioners ran the line with-
out trouble for about forty miles, when they disagreed, the North
Carolina commissioners claiming the true line to be about two miles
north of the place at which the commissioners were then stationed.
The Virginia commissioners proceeded to run the line to the Mis-
sissippi river and made their report. Nothing further will be said
upon this subject at this point, but it will be separately treated in
another part of this book. Suffice it to say that the line, as ascer-
tained by the Virginia commissioners, deprived Washington county
of from one-third to one-half of the territory supposed to lie within
Washington county; and the North Carolina Legislature, at their
fall session in this year, established Sullivan county, North Caro-
lina, afterwards Tennessee, and the government of that county was
organized at the house of Moses Loony in the month of February,
1780.
Isaac Shelby, one of Washington county's representatives in the
Legislature of Virginia, qualified as county lieutenant and Ephraim
Dunlop, Washington county's deputy attorney, was appointed State's
attorney for the new county.
The act of the General Assembly of North Carolina erecting the
county of Sullivan recites that the then late extension of the north-
ern boundary line of the State from Holston river, that lies directly
west from a place well known by the name of Steep Eock, makes it
evident that all the lands west of said place, lying on the west and
northwest side of said river Holston have, by mistake of the settlers,
been held and deemed to be in the State of Virginia; owing to which
mistake they have not entered said lands in the proper offices. It
recites also, that by a line lately run, it appears that a number of
such settlers have fallen into the State of North Carolina, and it
Washington County, 1777-1870. 301
makes provision for the security of their lands and improvements.
These were the first lands taken from the county as originally
formed.
In the fall of this year Andrew Colvill^ a citizen of Wolf Hills,
was commissioned as escheator for Washington county, and Evan
Baker was appointed deputy commissary on the western side of the
Blue Eidge, agreeably to the order of the Governor and Council.
On the 22d day of March, 1780, the County Court of this county
entered several important orders, among the number being one
fixing the county levy for the year 1779, at twenty dollars for each
tithable, and appointing John Campbell, David Carson and Alex-
ander Montgomery commissioners of the tax for that year, and
James Dysart, Eobert Craig and John Kinkead commissioners to
collect that portion of the tax that was payable in commutable
articles.
Eobert Craig and Aaron Lewis were recommended to the Gov-
ernor as fit and proper persons for coroners of Washington county
and were commissioned as such, and
Benjamin Estill, David Watson,
Alexander Montgomery, Aaron Lewis,
Thomas Montgomery, James Fulkerson,
John Latham, David Ward,
Joseph Black, Eobert Campbell, and
Alexander Barnett,
were recommended to the Governor as fit and proper persons to be
added to tlie commission of the peace for Washington county, and
were commissioned as such.
These recommendations were made in view of the fact that quite
a number of the members of the court of this county had been
lost to the county when the State line was run and Sullivan county,
North Carolina, was formed.
By far the most important order entered by the court on this day
was the following :
"Ordered that it be recommended to the county lieutenant of
this county not to call a general muster the ensuing month, on
account of the apparent danger from the enemy and other dis-
tressing circumstances of the county."
The army of Cornwallis was fast approaching the southern bor-
302 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
(ler of North Carolina, and every friend of the British government
was stimulated into life and became a source of uneasiness and
trouble to the back settlements. At this time General Rutherford,
of North Carolina, made a reqviisition ujjon Sullivan and Washing-
ton counties in North Carolina for tJie aid of their militia in the
defence of the State. Cornwallis was meeting with but little
obstruction in his march and contemplated nothing less than the
overrunning of North Carolina and the invasion of Virginia. It
was this state of affairs that produced the alarm among the set-
tlers in Washington county.
At the April court, 1780, William Campbell was recommended by
the court and commissioned by the Goivernor, as colonel of the
county militia, in the place of Evan Shelby, who had become a
citizen of the State of North Carolina. Daniel Smith was com-
missioned lieutenant-colonel, and William Edmiston major. At the
same time the following militia officers were recommended and
commissioned :
Captains of Militia:
James Crabtree, William Edmiston, Jr.,
William Edmiston, Alexander Barnett,
David Beatie, Jr., David Beatie,
Charles Cocke,
and previously to this time and during the years 1778 and 1779,
the following captains of militia were commissioned :
George Maxwell, William Neil,
Thomas Caldwell, James Fulkerson,
Lieutenants of Militia:
Robert Edmiston, Jr., Humberson Lyon,
William Bartlett, William Davison,'
William Edmiston, Joshua Buckner,
Joseph Scott, <i -
and in the year 1778-1779, the following:
William Blackburn, John Davis,
Levi Bishop, Moses Loony,
Hugh Crawford, James Leeper,
Solomon Litton, Roger Topp,
William Rosebrough, Samuel Newell,
William Pitman, John Lowry,
George Finley.
Washington County, 1777-1870. 303
Ensigns of Militia:
Kobert Campbell, John McFerrin,
James Houston, Nathaniel Dryden,
Andrew Goff, Daniel Davison,
Hugh Campbell, William Blackmore,
and in 1778-1779:
John Sawyers, Thomas Sharp,
Eees Bowen, George Teeter,
Patrick Campbell, Samuel Vanhook,
John Steele, William Crockett.
I give the names of the officers of the county militia from the
formation of the county to this time with considerable particularity,
as we know that every officer at the Battle of King's Mountain,
from Washington count}^, was made up from this list. And it is
more than probable that all the officers whose names (with very few
exceptions) have been given were present on that occasion.
At the county court held on the last Tuesday in April of this year
John Yancy and Christopher Acklin were licensed by the court to
keep ordinaries in the town of Abingdon, being among the first
ordinary keepers in the town of Abingdon.
At the June term of this court there seemed to have been a little
trouljle among the gentry, which is evidenced by the following orders
entered by the court on that day :
"Ordered that James Kerr be fined two hundred pounds for in-
sulting Joseph Scott in open court.
"Ordered that William Robinson be fined two hundred pounds for
insulting Joseph Scott.
"Ordered that Joseph Scott be fined two hundred pounds for
flashing a pistol at James Kerr in the court yard.
"Ordered that James Kerr be fined twenty pounds for insulting
James Montgomery."
At the same term of the court Rol^ert Irvin qualified as deputy
for Arthur Campbell, sheriff of Washington county.
The following order entered by the court on August 17th is given,
because it designates the first settler at the head of Little Moccasin
creek.
"Ordered that John Snoddy, gent, give Alexander Barnett a list
of tithables to work on the road from the mouth of Harrold's creek
304 Southwest Virginia, 171^6-1786.
to Alexander Montgomery's old cabin, at the head of Little Mocca-
sin/'
During the summer of this year the militia of this county was
kept on the move in consequence of the threatened invasion of the
British forces from the South. In the months of August and Sep-
tember one hundred and fifty men from Washington county saw-
active service on New river, about the Lead Mines, and over the
jnountains in North Carolina, under Colonel William Campbell, to
prevent and suppress any attempted insurrection among the Tories
in those quarters.
The Cherokee Indians, in September of this year, began to give
evidence of an unfriendly disposition, and every indication pointed
to an Indian war, when the Governor of Virginia directed Colonel
AYilliam Campbell to take command of an expedition against the
Cherokee Indians, and it was left to his choice whether to take the
troops do-wii the Tennessee by water or on horseback. If the men
went on horseback they were to be paid for such pack horses
as might be lost without fault of the owner.
BATTLE OF KING's MOUNTAIN.
While preparations were being made for this expedition and men
were being mustered into service Colonel William Campbell was
directed by the Governor to take command of the militia ordered to
suppress the Tories who were at that time rising in arms, and to
apply to that purpose the same means and powers that he was in-
vested with for carrying on the Cherokee expedition, and, while mak-
ing every preparation to^ execute the orders of the Governor, let-
ters were received by him from Colonels Isaac Shelby and John
Sevier requesting his assistance in a contemplated expedition
against Colonel Ferguson, the British officer who was then stationed
at Gilberttown, North Carolina. Acting under the orders of the
Go'vernor previously given, Colonel William Campbell joined in
this expedition, and marched a number of mounted militia from
this county to King's mountain, South Carolina.
Many writers, in speaking of the campaign against Ferguson and
of the battle at King's mountain, make the statement that tliis
expedition was without authority of government, but Colonel Wil-
liam Campbell seemed to think differently, as is evidenced by a cer-
tificate made by him in his own handwriting in the year 1781 and
recently discovered among some old papers in the auditor's office
Washington County, 1777-1870. 305
at Eichmond. This certificate, with endorsements thereon, is here
given in full :
"I hereby certify that when I was ordered by the Executive last
summer to take command of an expedition against the Cherokee
Indians, it was left to my own choice whether to take the troops down
the Tennessee by water, or on horseback, they were to be paid for
such pack horses as might be lost without default of the owners.
That expedition not being carried on, I was directed by His Ex-
cellency the Governor to take command of the militia ordered to
suppress the Tories who were at that time rising in arms, and to
apply to that purpose the same means and powers which I was in-
vested with for carrying on the Cherokee expedition, under which
direction I marched a number of mounted militia to King's moun-
tain, S. C. Wm. Campbell (Col.)"
June 16, 1781.
Endorsed on back.
1780 certificate of Colonel William Campbell respecting King's
mountain expedition.
The situation to the south of Virginia at this time was truly
alarming. The British had captured Charleston, with General
Lincoln and his entire army, early in this year, and the war was
transferred to the Carolinas and Georgia. General Gates, who
had captured the British army at Saratoga and was in command
of the Southern army during this year, was disastrously defeated
at Camden, and Colonel Sumpter and his body of patriots had
been cut to pieces by Colonel Tarleton at Pishing creek. Detach-
ments from the British army were scattered throughout South
Carolina and Georgia. Colonel Buford and his Virginia forces
had been defeated and cut to pieces by Tarleton's cavalry at the
Waxhaw's, and every preparation was being made by Lord Corn-
wallis to overrun with his victorious army the States of North
Carolina and Virginia in the order named. Lord Cornwallis had
placed the command of the western borders of North Carolina and
South Carolina under Colonel Patrick Ferguson, one of the ablest
British commanders at that time in the field, and he had overrun
and destroyed the Whig forces in his territory to such an extent
that the officers and men of the Whig forces were driven across
the mountains to the Holston settlements. A portion of the mili-
I tia of Sullivan and Washington comities. North Carolina, under
306 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
the comanand of Colonel Isaac Shelby, had been in the service of
the State and had exhibited a great deal of ability and prowess at
the battles of Miisgi-ove's Mill and Cane Creek, after which they
retired to their homes without suffering any inconvenience from
Ferguson or his forces. Colonel Ferguson was greatly embittered
toward the forces from the Holston or back waters (as it was then
termed), and when he arrived at Gilberttown, he paroled a Whig
prisoner by the name of Samuel Phillips, a relative of Colonel
Isaac Shelby, and sent him to deliver a message to the officers of
militia on the waters of the Holston, Watauga and Nolichucky,
which message was as follows :
"If they did not desist from their opposition to the British arms
he would march his army over the mountains, hang their leaders,
and lay their country waste with fire and sword." There can be no
question that Colonel FergusO'n was well informed of the situa-
tion of the western settlers and the route by which he could reach
their country, for at that time there were in his army a number of
Tories from Ihe back waters.
A crisis had been reached in the struggle for liberty, and now
at the darkest hour in the struggle of tlie patriots, the opportunity
and the men have met, when a band of western frontiersmen were
to strike a telling blow for the cause of liberty and all America.
Phillips immediately crossed the mountains and delivered the mes-
sage to Colonel Shelby as directed, and gave him such infornuition,
in addition thereto', as he had in regard to the strengtli and posi-
tion of Ferguson and his men. Colonel Shelby immediately ad-
dressed a letter to Colonel Williaui Campbell, of Washington
county, Virginia, and sent it by express by liis brother, Moses
Shelby, while Colonel Shelby went to the home of Colonel Jolm
Sevier and informed him of Ferguson's threats, and suggested
means by which they might embody a force sufficient to surprise
and attack Ferguson in his camp and prevent the imjx^nding stroke.
To the propositions of Colonel Slielby, Colonel Sevier readily
agreed. On tlie 18th day of September, 1780, Cplonel Charles Mc-
Dowell, of "Quaker Meadows," North Carolina, and Colonel An-
drew Hampton, of South Carolina, patriot leaders, with about one
hundred and sixty men, arrived at Colonel John Carter's in Carter's
Valley, fleeing from Ferguson and his forces. These men were
consulted by Colonel Shelby, and a time and place appointed for
Washington County, 1777-1870. 307
the assembling of all the forces that could be enlisted for this expe-
dition, at the Sj^cainore shoals or flats, on the Watauga river,
about three miles below the present town of Elizabethton, Tennes-
see. It is stated by many writers on the subject that Colonel Wil-
liam Campbell refused to join Shelby in this expedition when first
approached upon the subject, and that he consented only upon the
receipt of a second and more urgent request, but I do not know
upon what authority this statement is made, for on the 6th day
of September of this year Colonel Campbell was at Bethabara,
Surry county, jSTorth Carolina, with the Washington county mili-
tia, suppressing and preventing insurrection among the Tories in
that section, and it is evident to any one acquainted with the coun-
try that he must have marched his men immediately from that
point to Washington courthouse, and from there to the Sycamore
Shoals, to have reached that point on the 35th of September. I do
not think there can be any doubt that Colonel Campbell joined
in this expedition very heartily, upon the receipt of information
from Shelby, and that he, with the Washington county forces, en-
tered u])on this expedition with the greatest of enthusiasm, as is
evidenced by the large numbers of volunteers collected and the
rapidity of their movements.
It is reasonable to suppose that Colonel Arthur Campbell was
busy enlisting the militia of this county and equipping them for
this expedition while Colonel William Campbell and his men were
returning from TsTorth Carolina. Colonel Arthur Campbell, in
speaking of the situation of the Southern Colonies, said : "The tale
of McDowell's men was a doleful one, and tended to excite the
resentment of the people, who, of late, had become inured to danger
by fighting the Indian, and who had an utter detestation of the
tyranny of the British Government.
Upon the arrival of Colonel William Campbell, in Abingdon,
on the 22d day of September, 1780, it was decided that two hundred
of the militia of this county should accompany him upon this expe-
dition. The men seemed animated with a spirit of patriotism and
asseml)led at Wolf creek, near the Bradley farm west of Abingdon,
from which point they marched immediately for the Sycamore
Shoals, arriving at that point on the 25th day of September, accord-
ing to appointment. Colonel William Campbell did not accompany
the men to Sycamore shoals, he going by Colonel Shelby's at Sap-
308 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
ling grove (n()^y Bristol), while his men followed tJie Watauga
road. Colonel Artlmr Campbell, who had been left at Abingdon
with a portion of the militia to defend the inhabitants of the county
against any Indian invasion, at the earnest solicitation of tlic
militia under his command, and wisliing to give all possible strength
to the expedition against Colonel Ferguson, on the 24th day of
September left Abingdon with an additional two hundred men
for the Sycamore shoals, and arrived on the 2Gth, just as the little
army of mountaineers were preparing to march for the Carolinas.
The approach of Colonel Arthur Campbell with the reinforcements
and the effect that it had upon the army are best described in the
words of a North Carolina historian:
"When nearly ready to begin the marcli, the sound of approach-
ing voices was heard once more. The camp was astir; unexpected
visitors were discovered in the distance ; nearer they came, and recog-
nition was announced by a wild shout of joy, and Colonel Arthur
Campbell led two hundred men into the camp. One thousand and
fifty voices now made the welkin ring with their glad acclaim. Col-
onel Campbell, fearing that there might not be men enough to
secure certain victory, determined, after Colonel William Campbell
had left, to reinforce his strength. This being now done, he bade
Ills men 'Godspeed' and a hearty 'goodbye,' and returned to his
liome again."*
Thus it will be seen that the militia of Washington county were
not only willing to go when required to do so, but were anxious to
strike a blow for their altars and their homes, and it is reasonable
to suppose that, if the country had been free from the fear of an
Indian war, twice four hundred men would have voluntarily accom-
panied Colonel Campbell upon this expedition.
Let us take a look at the little army of patriots assembled at the
Sycamore shoals. This army was made up and commanded as
follows :
Colonel William Campbell, 400 men
Colonel Isaac Shelby, 240 men
Colonel John Sevier, 240 men
Colonel Charles McDowell and Andrew Hampton, .... 160 men
The money to equip the North Carolina militia was obtained by
*«
Schenk, N. C, 1780-1781.
Workington County, 1777-1870. ' 309
Colonels Sevier and Shelby from John Adair, the North Carolina
entrytaker, in Washington county, N'orth Carolina; but the Vir-
ginia militia under Campbell were equipped by the Washington
county authorities and paid by the State of Virginia. Every mem-
ber of this little army, with but few exceptions, was dressed in the
woolen clothes manufactured by his wife and daughters, and wore
a fur-skin cap.
A distinguished historian describes in such an interesting way
the appearance of these mountaineers as they began their march,
that I give his statements in regard thereto :
"Their fringed and tasseled hunting-shirts were girded in by
bead-worked belts, and the trappings of their horses were stained
red and yellow. On their heads they wore caps of coon-skin or
minJc-skin, with the tails hanging down, or else felt hats, in each
of which was thrust a buck's tail or a sprig of evergreen. Every
man carried a small bore rifle, a tomahawk and a scalping knife.
A very few of the officers had swords, and there was not a bayonet
nor a tent in the army."*
It would seem from the descriptions given by historians in speak-
ing of this expedition, that the men were very poorly equipped, but,
from an inspection of the records of this county, it will be found
that the estates of the men killed at the battle of King's Mountain
were valued very high, and that no part of their property was more
valuable than their equipments at the time they were killed, a sam-
ple of which is as follows; appraised value :f
"One blue broadcloth and linen jacket, £150
"One pair of leather breeches, 75
"One great coat, 150
"One horse, 600
"Every member of this little army was equipped with a Deckard
rifle, and they were not only splendid horsemen but excellent
marksmen ; and by the warfare that they had been carrying on with
the Indians they were accustomed to every kind of danger and
hardship. They had oftentimes heard of the wrongs of their Whig
kinsmen to the South; not only from Colonels McDowell and
Hampton and their men, but from General Clarke, of Georgia, and
his men, and they were determined, if possible, to prevent the
*Winniiig of the West.
fCaptain Wm. Edmiston estate.
310 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
advance of Colonel Ferguson to this side of the mountain, and to '
rescue their brethren to the South from their sad plight.
"On the 26th day of the month when they were ready to march,
the men assembled in a grove, and there the Eev. Samuel Doak, a
Presbyterian preacher, the pioneer clergyman of the frontiers,
made a few remarks befitting the occasion, closing the same with the
Bible quotation: 'The sword of the Lord and of Gideon.' And
while these stern hardy men bowed their heads in reverence, this
good man invoked on the expedition the blessings of the Lord. He
recounted the dangers that surrounded his congregation from the
savages in their rear and the British in their front; and reciting
the promises of mercy contained in the word of their Grod, he
earnestly prayed for protection to their families and success to
those who were marching to defend their homes and liberty; and
so effective were his prayers that tears, stole down the cheeks of
many of the rough and hardy mountaineers. After this the army
mounted their horses and commenced their march for South Caro-
lina. The route pursued by these men upon this march is a matter
of considerable interest to their descendants, and I give the route as
described by Draper in his history of the 'Battle of King's Moun-
tain.'
"Leaving the S3'camore shoals, they probably ate their dinner at
Clark's mill on Gap creek, three miles from the shoals ; they thence
passed up Gap creek to its head, where they bore to the left, cross-
ing Little Doe river, passing on to the 'resting place' at the Shelv-
ing Eock, about a mile beyond Crab Orchard and about twenty
miles from the shoals, where they encam])ed for the night. At
this place a number of their horses were shod by a man by the nauje
of Miller.
"The next morning they were delayed for some time in butchering
several of their cattle, after which they passed on about four miles.
Beaching the base of the Yellow and Boan ]\rountains, they
ascended the mountain, following Bright's trace, through a gap
between Yellow mountain on the north and Boan niiountain on the
soutli. When they had reached the table-land on top of the moim-
tain, they found it covered with snow shoe-mouth deep, on the sum-
mit of which there were about one hundred acres of beautiful table-
land and a fine spring that ran over into the Watauga. In tliis field
the soldiers were paraded under their respective! officers and were
Washington County, 1777-1870. 3li
ordered to discharge their rifles, and such was the rareness of the
atniospliere that there was little or no report. This body of table-
land is known as the 'Bald Place/ or 'the Bald of the Yellow.'
"At this point two men from Colonel John Sevier's company
deserted. Their names were James Crawford and Samuel Cham-
bers. It was suspected that they would make their way to Colonel
Ferguson and inform him of the coming of the backwoodsmen, and
this suspicion was correct. Upon the discovery of this fact, it was
decided by the commanders that they would not pursue the route
previously proposed, but would pass by a more northerly route, so as
to confuse Ferguson, should he send spies to make discoveries.
After they had refreshments they passed on down the mountain a
few miles into Elk Hollow, a low place between the Yellow and
Eoan mountains, where, at a fine spring, they encamped for the
night. On the 28th they descended Eoaring creek to the North
Toe river, and thence down the Toe to a noted spring on the Daven-
port place, since Tate's, and now known as Child's Place, where
they probably rested, and thence down to the mouth of Grassy creek,
where they encamped and rested for the night. On the 29th they
passed up Grassy creek to its head, and over Blue Eidge at Gilles-
pie's gap to Cathey's mill, where they camped. The country that
they had passed through to this point cannot be excelled in roman-
tic grandeur anywhere on earth. It was excellently watered, broken
by high moamtains and interspersed with beautiful valleys. A
ISTorth Carolina historian, in speaking of this country, says: "If
we were to meet an army with music and banners we would hardly
notice it. Man and all his works and all his devices are sinking
into insignificance. We feel that we are approaching nearer and
nearer to the Almighty Architect. We feel in all things about us
the presence of the great Creator. A sense of awe and reverence
comes over us, and we expect to find in this stupendous temple we
are approaching none but men of pure hearts and benignant minds.
But, by degrees, as we clamber up the winding hill, the sensation
of awe gives way, new scenes of beauty and grandeur open upon our
ravished visions, and a multitude of emotions swell within our
hearts. We are dazzled, bewildered and excited, we know not how
nor why ; our souls expand and swim through the immensity before
and around us, and our beings seem merged into the infinite and
glorious works of God. This is the country of the fairies; and here
312 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
they liave their shaded dells^ their mock mountains and their green
valleys, thrown into ten thousand shapes of beauty. But higher
up are the Titian hills ; and when w© get among them we will find
the difference between abodes of the giants and their elfin neigh-
bors,"
At Cathey's mill the troops were divided, Campbell, with his
men, following a trail six miles south to Wofi'ord Fort, the others
going to Honey Cut creek, at which point Colonel Charles McDow-
ell, who had left the Sycamore shoals in advance of the troops to
notify the Carolina Whigs of the coming of the mountain men,
rejoined the army. And, on Saturday morning, the 30th day of
September, the mountain men passed over Silver and Linville
mountains in an easterly course, and down Paddle's creek to
"Quaker Meadows," where the fatted calf was killed and the moun-
tain men regaled themselves in the beautiful valley. Soon thereafter.
Colonel Benjamin Cleveland and Major Winston joined the moun-
tain men with three hundred and fifty North Carolinians from the
counties of Surry and Wilkes.
It may be interesting to our readers to know that Surry county.
North Carolina, joined Virginia on the south, and embraced that
portion of North Carolina now included in the present counties of
Ashe, Alleghany, Watauga and Mitchell, our nearest neighbors to
the south.
On Sunday morning, October 1st, the Wliigs left "Quaker
Meadows" with light hearts and eager footsteps, believing that they
would soon be upon Ferguson and his corps. They rapidly advanced,
passing Pilot moimtain, and in the evening encamped in a gap
of the South mountain, near where the heads of Cane and Silver
creeks interlock each other, and on Monday they remained in camp
for the day because of the rain that was constantly falling. On this
day it was decided that it was necessary to have a military head to
their organization, and Colonel McDowell was dispatched to General
Gates, requesting him to send forward a general officer to take
the command. The letter addressed by the officers to General Gates
and forwarded by Colonel McDowell was as follows :
Rutherford County, Camp near Gilberttown,
October 1st, 1780.
Sir : — We have now collected at this place about 1,500 good men,
diawn from the counties of Surry, Wilkes, Burke, Washington and
Washington County, 1777-1870. 313
Sallivan comities in this State, and Washington county in Virginia,
and expect to be joined in a few days by Colonel Clarke, of Georgia,
and Colonel Williams, of South Carolina, with about 1.000 Tuore.
As w« have at this time called out our inintia withoiit any orders
from the Executives of our different States, and with tbo view of
expelling the enemy out of this part of the country, we think such a
body 0^ men worthy of your attention, and would request you to
send a general officer immediately to take the command of such
troops as may embody in this quarter. Our troops being all militia
and but little acquainted with discipline, we would wish him to be
a gentleman of address and able to keep up a proper discipline \^'ith-
out disgiTsting the soldiery. Every assistance in our power shall
be given the officer you may thinlc proper to take the command of us.
It is the wish of such of us as are acquainted with G-eneral David-
son and Colonel Morgan (if in service) that one of these gentlemen
may be appointed to the command.
We are in great want of ammunition, and hope you will endeavor
to have us properly furnished with that article.
Colonel McDowell will wait upon you with this, who can inform
you of the present situation of the enemy, and such other particulars
respecting our troops as you may think necessary.
*We are, sir, your most obedient and very humble ser'ts.
(Signed) BENJ. CLEVELAND,
ISAAC SHELBY-,
JOHN LOED,
AND'W HAMPTON,
WM. CAMPBELL,
JO. WINSTON.
Isaac Shelby, in his old age, made the statement that Colonel
McDowell was dispatched upon this mission for the purpose ol dis-
posing of his services, as he, by reason of his age, was too slow and
too inactive for the command of such an enterprise as they were
then engaged in, and this statement has been repeated by most his-
torians. While it may be true, there can be no good reason for
believing the statement, for, at this time. Colonel McDowell was
only thirty-seven years of age, was an active and very intelligent
*( From original of "Gates papers" in'possession of the New York Historical
society. )
314 Southwest Virginia, 17Ji6-1786.
man and had seen a great deal of service, before that time, in his
campaigns against the invaders.
It is much more reasonable to believe that Colonel McDowell,
being the commanding officer in the coimty where the army was
tlien stationed and knowing the country well, of his own accord
jiroposed to deliver tliis message to General Gates. IT^^on the depart-
ure of Colonel JMcDowell the other colonels assemliled and elected
Colonel AVilliam Campbell, of Washington coimty, to command the
whole, upon the suggestion of Isaac Shelby, who had, previously
to this timie, always from his earliest manhood taken orders from
Colonel Canipl^ell, who had served as an officer in the Continental
army.
On the morning of the 5th of October, the mountain nien made
preparations to march from their camp to the gap at South moun-
tain, expecting to find Colonel Ferguson at Gilberttown and attack
liini. Before beginning the march, Colonel Cleveland requested the
troops to form a circle, promising to tell them the news. After
which, he came within the circle, accompanied by the other officei*s,
and taking off his hat, addressed the troops as follows :
"Now, my brave fellows, I have come to toll you the news. The
enemy is at hand and we must up and at them. Now is the time
for every man of you to do his country a priceless service, such as
shall lead your children to exult in the fact that their fathers were
the conquerors of Ferguson. When the pincli comes I sliall l)e with
you. But if any of you shrink from sliaring in the battle and the
glory, you can now have the opportunity of l)acking out and leaving;
and you shall have a few minutes for considering the uiatter."
After which Major McDowell and Colonel Shelby uiade a few
remarks and requested all those who liesitated about going further
to step back three paces to the rear when the word was given. When
the word was given not one member of that army accepted the priv-
ilege, but a shout went up from the assemlbled hosts when it was
ascertained that there was not a coward or a slink in that little
army. After this the army marched down Cane creek a few mile'^
and encamped for the night. On the following day they reached a
point near Gilberttomi and ascertained that Ferguson, hearing
of their coming, had retreated.
Colonel Ferguson, upon hearing of the approach of the mountain
men, dispatched two messengers to Comwallis, requesting assist-
Washington County, 1777-1S70. 315
anee at once, and issued the following proclamation to the country :
"Gentlemen: — Unless yon wish to be eat up by an inundation of
barbarians, who have begun by murdering an unarmed son before
an aged father, and afterwards lopped off his arms, and who, by
thoir shocking cruelties and irregularities, give the best proof of
their cowardice and want of discipline; I say, that if you wish to
be pinioned, robbed and murdered, and vSee your wives and daugh-
ters in four days abused by the dregs of mankind; in short, if you
wish to deserve to live and bear the name of men, grasp your arms
in a moment and run to camp. The 'Back Water' men have
crossed the mountains; McDowell, Hampton, Shelby and Cleve-
land are at their head, so that you know what you have to depend
ii})on. If you choose to be degraded forever and ever by a. set of
mongrels, say sO' at once, and let your women turn their backs upon
yoii and look out for real men to protect them.
PAT. FEEGUSON,
Major 71st Eegiment."
He then retreated to Green river, where he gave out that he was
retreating to Fort Ninety-six, South Carolina. He then proceeded
to Dennard's Fort, on Broad river, from which point he marched
about four miles on the 2d day of October and lay on his arms all
that night expecting an attack, and on the 3d day of October he
marched to Tate's place, where he sent the following message to
Cornwallis :
"My Lord : — I am on my march to' you by a road leading from
C*herokee Ford, nortli of King's mountain. Three or four hundred
good soldiers could finish this business. Something must be done
soon. This is their last push in this quarter.
"PATEICK FEEGUSON"."
The position occupied by Ferguson at this time was sixteen miles
northeast of King's mountain and thirty-five miles west of Char-
lotte, the headquarters of Cornwallis.
It seems that it was the intention of Ferguson, when he began
his retreat from Gilberttown to join Cornwallis at Charlotte, with
all possible speed, but, for some strange reason, he was impelled to
march to the southwest, where he was to meet his destiny and lose
his life. He reached King's mountain on the evening of the 6th
of October, where he pitched his camp and made all necessary pre-
parations to defend his position, and gave utterance to the follow-
316 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
ing sacrilegious boast: "That he was on King's mountain, that
he was king of that mountain, and God Almighty could not drive
him from it."
The position occupied by Comwallis and where the battle was
fought, is in York county. South Carolina, about one and a half
miles south of the State line. That portion of the mountain upon
which the battle was fought was nothing more than an oblong hill
or stony ridge, some six hundred yards long and about two hun-
dred and fifty yards across from one base to the other, and from
sixty to one hundred and twenty yards on the top, tapering to the
south. "So narrow," says Mill's Statistics, "that a man, standing
on it, may be shot from either side." The top of the ridge is about
sixty feet above the level of the surrounding country.
Many of the participants in the battle of King's mountain
thought that they could see a resemblance to^ that battleground in
the ridge south of and near to Abingdon, and to this they gave th^^
name of King's mountain, which name it bears at the present time.
The principal elevation on this range of mountains in South
Carolina was about six miles from the battleground.
We left the mountain men near Gilberttown, where they were
informed that Ferguson had retreated some fifty or sixty miles in
the direction of Fort ISTinety-Six ; which information greatly
depressed them, but they determined to pursue, which they did
immediately, as far as Dennard's Ford, where they lost the trail for
awhile, but they proceeded to Alexander's Ford of Green river,
where the officers determined to select their best men, best hoi'scs
and best rifles, and to pursue Ferguson unremittingly and overtake
him before he could receive reinforcements or reach any fort that
would give him protection. The mountain men were for some time
perplexed by the movements of Ferguson, and were unable to tell by
what route he had fled, but soon ascertained from a Whig sympa-
thizer, that Ferguson, on the evening of the 5th, had written a loi-
ter to Lord Cornwallis and had taken a position on the following
day at King's moimtain.
The number of men selected on the night of the 5th of October,
to make the forced march to overtake Ferguson, was about seven
hundred, thus leaving behind abo'ut six hundred and ninety men.
The Carolina troops thus left behind, were in charge of Major
Joseph Herndon, of Cleveland's regiment, and that portion of
Washington County, 1777-1870. 317
CampbeU's regiment left behind were in charge of Captain William
Neil. The men selected were all well mounted, while those left
behind were not. But Colonel Campbell placed the Washington
county troops in charge of an officer of much energy of character,
to whom he gave directions to do ever3d;hing in his power to expe-
dite the march of the troops placed in his charge, by pushing them
forward as fast as possible.
Campbell, with the mounted men, started in pursuit of Ferguson
on the morning of the 6th of October, passing in a southerly direc-
tion to the Sandy Plains, thence southeasterly to the Cowpens,
about twenty-one miles, which point they reached shortly after sun-
set, where they found Colonels Hill, Lacy, Williamis and Graham,
with their forces. On this day, they passed in the immediate vicin-
ity of several large bodies of Tories, one of which numbered six
hundred. "The riflemen from the mountains had turned out to
catch Ferguson, and this was their rallying cry from the day they
left the Sycamore shoals on the Watauga.^'* 4
They did not intend to be diverted from their object, and there-
fore did not waste any time on the small parties along their way.
Ensign Kobert Campbell, of the Virginia troops, in his diary says :
"That he was dispatched with a party of eighty men to break up the
party of six hundred Tories stationed near the Cowpens, but that
they had moved before the mountaineers reached the Cowpens and
could not be overtaken that night."
Captain Colvill undertook to surprise this same company the
following night, but met with no better success.
While the troops were stationed at the Cowpens, a Whig spy, who
was a crippled man, reported to the Whig chiefs, that he had visited
the camp of Ferguson, and ascertained his plans, and that his forces
did not exceed 1,500 men, which information encouraged the moun-
tain men very much, but, as a matter of precaution, Enoch Gil-
more, another spy, was sent out to gain tlie latest intelligence in
regard to the movements of the enemy, which he did, and returned
to the camp of the mountain men on the evening of the 6th, When
the march was begun from the Cowpens on the evening of the 6th,
the whole number of mounted men was 900, besides a squad of
footmen numbering about fifty.
The march from the Cowpens to King's mountain was made by
*Draper's King's Mountain.
318 Southwest Virginia, 17^6-1786.
night and there was a drizzle of rain failing during most of the
time. Campbell's men lost their way, and, on the morning of the
7th, it was ascertained that they were not more than five miles
from the Cowpens, but they soon joined the main force and pushed
rapidly forward in an easterly direction, passing the Cherokee Ford
and on to Beason's where they halted for a short while and learned
that Ferguson was only nine miles off and in camp.
As Colonel Campbell rode off froui this point, a girl followed,
and, calling to him, asked: "How many of you are there?"
"Enough to wliip Ferguson if we can find him," was the reply,
whereupon the girl, pointing her finger in a direct line to King's
mountain, said : "He is on that mountain."
Several persons were captured between this point and Ferguson's
camp, one of the number being a man by the name of John Pon-
der, upon whose person was found a message from Ferguson to
Comwallis imploring assistance. Another was Henry Watkins, a
Whig, whom Ferguson had just released, and who gave the moun-
tain men accurate information of Ferguson and his situation.
At this point the mountain men were drawn up in two lines, two
men deep. Colonel Campbell leading the right and Colonel Cleve-
land the left, and proceeded on their march. When they came near
to the mountain, they moved up a branch between two rocky knobs,
beyond which the enemy's camp was in full view, 550 yards in
front of them. This was at about 3 o'clock in the evening. Orders
were given for the men to dismount and tie their horses, and to tie
their blankets and coats to the saddles, and a few men were detailed
to guard them. This was on the east side of King's creek, after
which the order was given to the men, "Fresh prime your guns, and
every man go into battle firmly resolved to fight till he dies."
The army of Ferguson numbered about 1,100 men, the two
armies being about equal in number, but there was a considerable
difference in the motives which prompted them to fight. The Tories
were fighting for the honor of their king. That was one and various
other motives might be mentioned; while, on the other hand, the
Whigs fought for the liberty and independence of the American
Colonies, for the right to exercise their religious views without
restraint and to protect their homes and families from unprincipled
Tories and savage Indians.
Washington County^ 1777-1870. 319
Dr. Draper, in speaking of tlie Virginia troops who participated
in tliis battle, says:
"Those men from the Holston under Campbell were a pecidiar
people, somewhat of the character of Cromwell's people. They were,
almost to a man, Presb}i;erians. In their homes in the Holston
Valley they were settled in pretty compact congregations, quite tena-
cious of their religious and civil liberties, as handed down from
father to son from their Scotch-Irish ancestors. Their preacher,
Eev. Charles Cummings, was well fitted for the times; a man of
piety and sterling patriotism, who constantly exerted himself to
encourage his people to make every needed sacrifice, and put forth
every possible exertion in defence of the liberties of their country.
They were a remarkable body of men, botli physically and mentally.
Inured to frontier life, raised mostly in Augusta and Eockbridge
counties, Virginia, a frontier region in the French and Indian war,
they early settled on the Holston, and were accustomed from their
childhood to border life and hardships ; ever ready at the tap of the
drum to turn out on military service; in the busiest crop season,
their wives, sisters and daughters could, in tlieir absence, plant and
sow and harvest.
They were better educated than most of the frontier settlers and
had a moTc thorough understanding of the questions at issue
between the Colonies and their mother country. These men went
forth to strike their country's foes, as did the patriarchs of old, feel-
ing assured that the God of battles was with them and that he would
surely crown their efforts with success. They had no doubts noT
fears. They trusted in God and kept their powder dry. Such a
thing as a coward was not known among them. How fitting it was
that to such a band of men should have been assigned, by Camp-
bell's own good judgment, the attack on Ferguson's choicest troops,
his Provincial Eangers. It was a happy omen of success, literally
the forlorn hope, the right men in the right place."
The two armies now confronted each other, the decisive moment
was at hand, and the mountain men were eager to pounce upon their
prey.
Colonel Campbell arranged his forces in two divisions, making
each division as nearly equal as possible, the two divisions to sur-
roi-nd the mountain. Campbell was to lead the Virginians across
the southern end of the ridge and southeast side, then Sevier's regi-
320 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
ment and McDowell's and Winston's battalions were to form a
column on the right wing, northeast of Campl)ell and in the order
named, under the command of Colonel John Sevier. Shelby's regi-
ment was to take a position on the left of the mountain, opposite
to Campbell, and form the left center, Camphell's left and Shelby's
right coming together, beyond Shelby was placed Williams's com-
mand, including Brandon, Hammond and Candler, then the South
Carolinians under Lacy, Hathorn and Steen, with the remainder
of the Wilkes and Surry men under Cleveland, together with the
Lincoln troops under Chronicle and Hambright. The regiments or
companies in the order named surrounded the mountain; Campbell
on the southeast, then Sevier, McDowell, Winston, Hambright,
Cleveland, Lacy, Williams and Shelby. Campbell was tx3 swing
to the north the left of his column and Shelby to the
south with his right wing, so that the two columns should
cross the mountain at its southwestern extremity ; and when all the
companies were in position to form a complete cordon around the
mountain, which was to be drawn closer to the center as the battle
progressed. Colonel Campbell, when everything was in readiness,
visited in person every command in the little army, and said to
the men : "That if any of them, men or officers, were afraid, to quit
the ranks and go home; that he wished no man to engage in the
action who could not fight. That as for himself he was determined
to fight the enemy a week, if need be, to gain the victory."*
He gave the necessary orders to his subordinate officers and placed
himself at the head of his own regiment.
Many of the men threw aside their hats, tying handkerchiefs
around their heads so as to be less likely toi be retarded by limbs and
bushes when dashing up the mountain.
The march began for the battleground, and when the mountain
men were discovered by Colonel Ferguson, the shrill whistle used
by him was distinctly heard, summoning his followers to arms ; the
battle drums were beaten and every preparation was made in the
British camp for battle.
A party of Colonel Shelby's men captured some of the enemy's
pickets without firing a gun.
In ordering the battle Colonel Campbell had directed each com-
pany of his army to listen for the Indian "war whoop" from the
*Draper's King's Moiantains.
Washington County, 1777-1870. 321
center colmnn when everything was ready for the attack. When
heard, the army was to rush forward upon the enemy, doing all pos-
sible damage and repeating the same "war-whoop."
The first firing occurred in the vicinity of Shelby's men, and
before they had taken their position for the battle, but, they were
not permitted to return the fire, until they had gained their desig-
nated position. Colonel Shelby directed his men to press on to their
places and then their fire would not be lost. Colonel Campbell,
about the timie this firing began, taking his position in front of his
men, tlirew off his coat and shouted at the top of his voice. "Here
they are, my brave boys ; shout like h — 1 and fight like devils !" The
woods immediately resounded with shouts of the line, in which they
were heartily joined, first by Shelby's corps, and then the shouting
was instantly caught up by the others along the two wings."*
At the same time, Captain Andrew Colvill, of the Virginia troops,
and Major Micajah Lewis and Captain Joel Lewis, with their troops
were directed by Colonel Campbell to charge the British main guard,
about one half way up the spur of the mountain, which they did,
and at this point, the first heavy fighting between the two armies
t'.ok place. The charge was made by the mountaineers with such
A\']for that the British guard was forced to retreat, leaving some of
their men killed and wounded, and the Virginia troops lost Lieu-
tenant Eobert Edmiston and John Beattie of Colvill's company,
killed, and Lieutenant Samuel Newell of this same company was
wounded, but Newell secured a horse, which he mounted and
returned to the conflict. At this time an incident occurred which
is preserved, and is here given.
One of the mountaineers came within rifle shot of a British sen-
tinel before the latter perceived him. On discovering the Ameri-
can, he discharged his musket and ran with all speed toward the
camp on the hill. This 'adventurous Whig, who had pressed for-
ward considerably in advance of his fellows, quickly dismounted,
leveled his rifle, firing at the retreating Briton, the ball striking
him in the back of the head, when he fell and expired."*
The position assigned to Colonel Campbell's men was the most
difficult of ascent of any part on the ridge, being very rocky and
steep, but they were not to be deterred by such obstacles, pressing
up the mountain little by little until they had reached near the
^Draper's King's Mountains.
322 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
top O'f tlie hill, firing all the time. When they had reached this
point Colonel Ferguson ordered his Eangers tO' charge the Virginia
troops with fixed bayonets, which they did. The Virginia troops
stood their ground for some time, but were forced to retreat down
the mountain. Colonel Campbell and Major Edmiston, with the
assistance of Lieutenant Newell, rallied the Virginia troops. Colo-
nel Campbell led his men again to the conflict, and by constant
and well-directed fire the Virginians drove the enemy back and
reached the summit of the mountain, when the m^imitain was cov-
ered Avith flame and smoke and seemed to thunder."*
Colonel Shelby, in speaking of tlie conduct of the Virginians at
this time, says :
"Campbell, with his division, ascended the hill, killing all that
came in his way, till, coming near enough to the main l>ody of the
enemy who were posted upon the summit, he poured in upon them
a most deadly flre. The enemy, with flxed bayonets, advanced upon
his troops, who gave way and went down the hill, where they rallied
and formed again and advanced."!
During this last attack Lieutenant Robert Edmiston, Jr., was
wO'Unded in the arm and sought shelter behind a tree, where John
Craig bandaged his arm, when Edmiston exclaimed : "Let us at it
again," and returned to the front as if he had not been wounded.
A noted historian, in speaking of this incident, has said : "Of such
grit was Campbell's Holston soldiers coui]>osed ; and as long as
there was any fighting to be done for their country and they could
stand upon their feet, they never failed to share largely in it."
While Campbell's men were engaged with the British Rangers, Colo-
nel Shelby was pressing the «iemy from the southwestern end of
the mountain to such an extent that Ferguson was forced to with-
draw his Rangers from that quarter and to charge Shelby's column,
which, in turn, were forced to retreat before tlie Britishi Rangers,
but they were rallied at the foot of the hill, wlien Shelby addressed
his men as follows: "Now, boys, quickly reload your rifles, and
let's advance upon them and give them another h — 1 of fire !"*
Campbell's and Shelby's men were engaged for fully ten minutes
before the other forces reached their position, after which time
Ferguson and his forces were assailed from all quarters by the rifle-
*Draper's King's Mountains.
tCol. Shelby's letter to Col. Arthur Campbell, October, 1780.
Washington County, 1777-1870. 333
men, who, pressing np the ridge, protected themselves behind the
trees, constantly firing on the British forces.
Sliortly after the opening of the battle it was discovered that a
portion of Ferguson's forces had concealed themselves behind a
chain of rocks at a very dangerous point, from which they success-
fully assailed the mountain men.
Colonel Shelby directed Ensign Eobert Campbell, with a com-
pany of Virginia troops, to move to the right and to dislodge the
men from their position, wliich Campbell did, and led his men
within forty steps of them, when he discovered that the Virginia
troops had been driven down the hill. Then he gave orders to his
men to post themselves opposite to the rocks and near to the enemy,
\\'hile he assisted in rallying Colonel Campbell's men, which orders
were oljeyed, Ensign Campbell's men keeping up such a deadly
fire on the British, that Colonel Ferguson was compelled to order
a strong force to assist the men placed among the rocks, but they
were compelled to retire to another position on the mountain be-
fore the close of the action. The batttle was now raging all around
tlie mountain: the report of hundreds of rifles and muskets, the
loud commands of the officers, the Indian "war-whoops" constantjy
given by the mountaineers, and the shrill noise made by Fergu-
son's whistle, conspired to make a tumult never to be forgotten
and seldom experienced by men.
Colonel Lacy, with the South Carolinians ; ]\f ajor Chronicle,
with his North Carolina forces; Colonels Shelby and Sevier, with
the Holston forces; Colonel Cleveland, with his boys from Surry,
and the other officers in this little army, magnificently vindicated
in this conflict their claim to the title of patriots. When the
British forces would attack any one command they would in turn
be assailed by the mountain men in their rear and be forced to
turn upon their pursuers, but every charge and counter-charge
saw Ferguson's ranks grow thinner and thinner, and the coil was
drawn closer and closer around the top of the mountain. Ferguson
and his forces were surrounded by the mountain men, whose
fire was so constant and deadly that it Avas with difficulty that the
British officers could rally their men. The British troops began
to give way on the southeastern side of the mountain, where they
Avere hard pressed by Campbell and Shelby, and assailed in the rear
by Cleveland, and on their flanks by McDowell and Winston. At
324 SoiifJnrr.^f Viir/inin. 17 1,0-1 ISG.
tllis lime two white \\;\\S> W^'V I'Jiiscd on the lii'ilisli line, but
Ferii'iisoii iiimicilijitcly cut tliciii down, swearing;- tliat lie would
novor sin-Tcii(l('i" to such hiimJil li. Sccini;-. however, tliat lie was
Avhi])]X'cl. with a tew ri'ieiids he made an attempt to break through
the lines of the mountain men on the southeastern side of the
mountain and make his escape. l)ut in making the effort he was
shot through with six or eight bullets. When Ferguson attempted
to make his escape a mountaineei' hy the name of Gilliland, who
had been several times -wounded, seeing his advance, attempted to
fire his gun at him, l)ut it snapped, when he called upon Eol)ert
Young, a member of his company, saying to h.im: "There is Fer-
guson; shoot him," to which Young rei)lied: "111 try and see
wdiat Sweet Li])S can do." wdiereupon he discharged his rifle and
Ferguson fell from his horse dead, and his friends were driven
back within the lines. Among the wounds received by Colonel
Ferguson w-as one through the head. He received the fatal shot
near Colonel John Sevier's company, and not far from the position
occupied by Ensign Eohert Cam])bell, who had been directed by
Colonel Shelby to dislodge the British stationed behind a ledge of
rocks as before detailed.
The last conflict between Colonel Cam])beirs men. assisted by
Colonel Shell)y"s men. and the British, lasted fully tAventy minutes,
the contestants being not more than forty yards apart. This is
said to have been the most hotly-contested part of the action.
Colonel Cam])l)ell at this time was some distance in front of
his company urging them on to victory, and while in this position
he called to his men: "T3oys, remember your lil)erty! Come on,
come on! niy brave fellows; another gun, another gun will do it!
D — n them ; we must have them out of this."*
While the British made a noble stand, they were driven to the top
of the mountain to their wagons, from which ])osition they were
driven immediately into a low place in the mountain, where they
surrendered. Colonels Camjibell and Shelby were ably assisted by
the bravery of the men under Cleveland, Lacy and Williams, who
kept up a vigorous attack from their position. Ca])tain DePeyster,
the next in command, upon the death of Colonel Ferguson, imme-
diately hois=;ted the white flag and called for quarter, wddch flag was
soon taken from his hand bv one of his officers on horseback and held
*Draper's King's Mountains.
Washiiujton Countij, 1777-1S70. 325
so high that it could be seen all along the American line. This white
flag was not the only one hoisted in the British army. At another
point a Piritisli soldier was mounted on a horse and directed to
hold up a wJiite handkerchief, wliicli ho did, and was immediately
shot down by C'hnrles Bow en, a second soldier suffering the same
fate; l)ut ujion a tliird atteinj)t Major Evan Shell)y received the
flag and prochiimed the surrender, Imt tlie mountain men who
had l)een scattered in the battle were ccmtinually coming u])
and continued to lire witliout comprehending in the heat of the
moment what had happeiu'd,'"* and many others were ignorant of
the meaning of a white riag under sucli circumstances, while others
were angered at tlie loss of rehitivcs iind friends at and before thi^
battle.
In the summer of this year Colonel 1)11 ford, in command of a
body of Virginia troops, had been siir]u-ised and his command cut
to pieces by Colonel Tarleton at the ^Vaxhaws in Xorth Carolina ;
Buford's men, Avhen surrounded by Tarleton's forces, begged for
quarter, which Tarleton declined to give, and they were cut to
pieces without mercy. The circumstances attending this slaughter
were well known to all the mountain men engaged in the battle
of King's Mountain, and the word "lUiford"' had been adopted as
the pass-word by the mountain men before engaging in this action,
and when the British were driven into the low ground hereto-
fore described, and were offering to surrender, numbers of the
mountain men were heard to cry out: "Give them Buford's play!"
and after the surrender the Americans continued to slaughter the
British for some time, notwithstanding the efforts of the Whig offi-
cers to prevent the slaughter.
About this time Colonel Campbell came running up, and, see-
ing Andrew Evans, a mendjer of his command, about to fire on the
British, knocked his gun up, exclaiming: "Evans, for God's sake,
don't shoot! It is nuirder to kill them now, for they have raised
the flag." Cani])bell, as he rushed along, repeated the order:
"Cease firing! Eor God's sake, cease firing!" Campbell there-
upon ordered Captain DePeyster, the British officer, to dismount,
calling out to the British forces: "Officers, rank by yourselves. Pri-
soners, take off vour hats and sit down." The mountaineers were.
^Drapf'r's King's Mountains.
32G Southwest Virginia, 1746-17S6.
directed to surround the prisoners in one eontinuoiis circle four
deep.
Colonel Campbell then proposed to his troops "three huzzas
for liherty." At this time a small squad of Tories, who had been
sent by Colonel Ferguson on a foraging expedition, returned to
the mountain, and, not knowing of the surrender, fired upon the
mountain men, killing Colonel Williams, of South Carolina.
Colonel Campbell, acting upon his belief that Colonel Tarleton
had arrived with his detachment, ordered the men of Colonels
Williams' and Brandon's commands to fire upon the enemy, which
they did, killing about one hundred of them, when the mistake
was discovered, and the firing ceased.
Colonel DePeyster delivered his sword to Colonel Campbell,
while Captain Eyerson delivered his sword to Lieutenant Andrew
Kincannnn, of the A'irginia forces. Colonel Campbell at this
time was in his shirt sleeves, Avith his collar open, and when some
of the Americans pointed him out as their commander the British
officers at first, from his unmilitary plight, seemed to doubt it, but
a number of officers now surrendered their swords to him, and he had
several in his hands and under his arms.
The battle Avas now ended after fifty minutes of hard fighting.
Colonel Ferguson, the British commander, was killed, and the
losses in his army were as follows :
British Rangers.
Killed, 30
Wounded, 28
Prisoners, 57
Tories.
Killed, 127
Wounded, 125
Prisoners, 649
The killed and wounded in the army of the mountain men were
thirty killed and sixty wounded. Colonel Campbell's regiment of
Virginians from Washington county met with greater losses than
anj other regiment engaged in this battle, the killed being :
William Edmiston, captain.
Rees Bowen, lieutenant.
William Blackburn, lieutenant.
Eobert Edmiston, Sr., lieutenant.
Washington County, 1777-1870. 3)^7
Andrew Edmiston, ensign,
llumberson Lyon, ensign.
James Laird, ensign.
William Flower, private.
John Beattie, ensign.
James Corry, ensign.
Nathaniel Dryden, ensign.
Nathaniel Gist, ensign.
James Phillips, ensign.
Thomas McCulloch, ensign.
Elisha Pepper, private.
Henry Henniger, private.
And the woimded were as follows :
James Dysart, captain.
Samnel Newell, lieutenant.
Pobert Edmiston, Jr., lientenant.
Frederick Fisher, private.
John Scaggs, private.
Benoni Btoning, private.
Charles Kilgore, private.
William Bnllen, private.
Leonard Hyce, private.
Israel Hayter, private,
and W^illiam Moore, private.*
It is a fact worth remembering that in this contest thirteen offi-
cers and three privates of the Virginia forces were killed, being
more than one-half of all the killed in this battle, and that three
officers and eighteen privates were wounded, a little more than one-
third of the men wounded in this battle ; they were members of the
Virginia companies. Another remarkable fact connected with this
battle is that of the eight members of Colonel Campbell's regiment
by the name of Edmiston three were killed and one wounded.
Among the rocks where the Tories had posted themselves dur-
ing this battle the bodies of eighteen Tories were found, all of
whom had been shot directly through the head.
All the prisoners were placed under strong guard. The Whigs
encamped for the night on the battleground with the dead and
*The names of ten privates wounded in this battle cannot be ascertained.
328 Soiitlnrcsf Vinilvia. JlJid-TTSC). .
woundvil. and |)ass('(l i]\o iiii;hl aiiiid tlic ui-oaii^ ami laiiicntatinii-;
of tlio wounded Tories.
A great quantity of powdt'i'. lead, sl-.ot and ])i-ovisions were
eapiiircd and aiipropioiated as a result of this battle, and Fer-
guson's effects were divided among the oflfieers, his sword being
given to Colonel Se\ior. Captain Joseph ^leDowell secured six
of his china diniu'i- ])lates and a small coffee cup and saucer; Colo-
nel Shelby secured his lai'ge sih'cr whistle, whWv a smaller whistle
was obtained Ijy Elias Powell, one of his soldici's; Colonel Sevier,
his silken sash and lieutenant-coloners commission and DePey-
ster's sword; Colonel C'leveland, his riding horse; Colonel Camp-
bell, a ]>ortion of his correspondence; Samuel Talbot, of this
countv. removed his dead body from the place where it lay, and
secured his pistol, which had dro])ped from his pocket.
Dr. Draper has preserved several incidents relating to the sol-
diers from this county and their conduct in this battle, which
are here copied in full :
"During the battle Captain William Edmiston, of Campbell's
regiment, remarked to John McCrosky, one of his men, that he was
not satisfied with his ])osition, and dashed forward into the hot-
test part of the battle, and there received the charge of DePeys-
ter's Eangers, discharged his gun, then clubbed it, and knocked
the rifle out of the grasp of one of the P)ritons. Seizing him by
the neck, he made him his prisoner and brought him to the foot
of the hill. Peturning again up the mountain, he bravely fell
fighting in front of his company near his beloved colonel. His
faithful soldier, ]\IcCroskey, when the contest was ended, went in
search of his cai)tain, found him and related the great victorv
gained, wlien the dying man nodded his satisfaction at the result.
The stern (V)lonel Campbell was seen to l)r\ish away a tear, when
he saw his good friend and heroic captain stretched u])on the
ground under a ti'ee with one hand clutching his side as if to re-
sfi'ain his life-blood from ebl)ing away until the battle was over.
He heard the shout of victory as his commander and friend grasped
his other hand. Me was past speaking; but he kissed his colonel's
hand, smiled, loosed his feeble hold on life, and the Christian pa-
triot went to his reward.
"Lieutenarit Pees Bowen, A\ho commanded out' of the com|).:inies
of the Virginia reainuMit. was ol)served while marching forwai'd
Washington County, 1777-1870. 339
to attack the enemy, to make a hazardous and unnecessary expos-
ure of his person. Some friend kindly remonstrated with him :
'Wh}'^, Bowen, do you not take a tree? why rashly present your-
self to the deliberate aim of the Provincial and Tory riflemen
concealed behind every rock and busli before you? Death will in-
evitably result if you persist. Take to a tree.' He indignantly
replied : 'A''o ! Xever shall it be said that I sought safety by hiding
my person or dodging from a Briton or a Tor}' who opposed me in
the field.' Well had it been for liim and his country had he been
more prudent, and, as his superiors had advised, taken shelter
whenever it could be fovmd, for he had scarcely concluded his
brave utterance when a rifle ball struck him in the breast. He fell
and expired.
"An incident of an exciting character occurred near the close
of the contest which very nearly cost the heroic Colonel Cleve-
Umd his life. Charles Bowen, of Captain William. Edmiston's
company, of Campbell's regiment, vaguely heard that his brother
Eees Bowen had been killed, and was much distressed and exas-
perated in consequence*. On the spur of tlie moment and without
due consideration of the danger he incurred he commenced a wild
and hurried search for his brother, hoping he might yet find him
in a wounded condition only. He soon came across his own fallen
Captain p]dmiston shot in the head and dying, and, hurrying from
one jioint to another, he at length found liimself within fifteen or
twenty paces of the enemy and near to Colonel Cleveland, when he
slipped behind a tree.
"At this time the enemy began to waver and show signs of sur-
rendering. Bowen promptly shot down the first man among them
who hoisted a flag, and immediately, as the custom was, turned his
back to the tree to reload, when Cleveland advanced on foot, sus-
pecting from the wildness of his actions that he was a Tory, and
demanded the countersign, which Bowen, in his half-bewildered
state of mind had, for the time being, forgotten. Cleveland, now
confirmed in his conjectures, immediately leveled his rifle at Bow-
en's breast and attempted to shoot. l)ut, fortunately, it missed fire.
Bowen, enraged and perhajis hardly aware of his own act, jumped
at and seized Cleveland by the collar, snatched his tomahawk from
his belt, and would in another moment have Iniried it in tlie colo-
nel's l)i-ains had not his ai-ui been arrested bv a soldier named
330 Southwest Virginia, 17Jf6-1786.
Buchanan, who knew both parties. Bowen, now coming to himself,
recollected the countersign and gave it "Buford," when Cleveland
dropped his gun and clasped Bowen in his arms for joy that each
had so narrowly and unwittingly been restrained from sacrificing
the other. This same author, in speaking of Campbell's regiment,
says:
"No regiment had their .endurance and courage more severely
tested than Campbell's. They were the first in the onset, the first
to be charged down the declivity by Ferguson's Eangers, the first
to rally and return to the contest. Everything depended upon suc-
cessively rallying the men when first driven down the mountain.
Had they become demoralized, as did the troops at Gates' defeat
near Camden, and as did some of Greene's militia at Guilford, they
would have brought disgrace and disaster upon the Whig cause.
When repulsed at the point of the bayonet the well-known voice of
tlieir heroic commander bade them ^'halt !" Eeturn, my brave fel-
lows, and you will drive the enemy immediately !" He was
promptly obeyed, for Campbell and his officers had the full con-
fidence and control of their mountaineers: They bravely faced
about and drove the enemy in turn up the mountain. In these
desperate attacks many a hand-to-hand fight and many an act of
heroism occurred, the wonder and admiration of all beholders;
but there were so many heroic incidents where all were heroes,
that only the particulars of here and there one have been handed
down to us. Ensign Eobert Campbell, at the head of a charging
party, -with singular boldness and address, killed Lieutenant Mc-
Ginnis, a brave officer of Ferguson's Eangers."*
There is a tradition in the Bowen family that Lieutenant Eees
Bowen, when he received orders to march to King's mountain, took
with him John Bowen, his son, a mere boy, who participated in
the battle and brought home to his mother his father's bloody shoes.
A similar tradition in the Breckenridge family is to the effect
that Alexander Breckenridge, a prosperous farmer living in the
vicinity of Abingdon, was accompanied to this battle by his son,
George Breckenridge, who was under fifteen years of age, and that
he (George Breckenridge) took an active part in the battle.
On the morning of October 8th, being Sunday, Colonel Camp-
bell's army drew the British baggage wagons, numbering seventeen.
*Draper's King's Mountain.
Washington County, 1777-1870. 331
across their camiD-fires, where they were burned, and, with all the
provision that they could possibly carry, they began their return
march for the mountains with all expedition possible, fearing the
arrival of Colonel Tarleton, encumbered as they were with so many
prisoners and such a quantity of captured stores. The prisoners
Avere required to carry their own arms, as the Whigs had no other
means of conveyance.
The report was current in the camp, upon the morning the
army started on its return, that Colonel Tarleton would attempt
a rescue of the prisoners, numbering more than six hundred, and
it is stated by a distinguished Englishman, who was at that time
a prisoner, that before the troops moved Colonel Campbell gave
orders to his men that should they be attacked on the march they
should fire on and destroy the prisoners; but it is exceedingly
doubtful whether such orders were ever given.
Colonel Campbell, with a party of men, remained behind to
bury their dead countrymen, and he directed the British prison-
ers to bury their dead. The British dead were interred in two
pits — one a very large one, in which the Tories Avere laid side by
side; the other a smaller one, in which doubtless the men of Fer-
guson's corps were buried."*
The army marched that day twelve miles and encamped on the
eastern bank of Broad river. The next day they marched up Broad
river and encamped on the northern bank of Boran's river, and
on the succeeding Friday Colonel Campbell issued an order di-
recting that all the wounded soldiers who were not able to march
should be placed by the companies to Avhich they belonged at the
most suitable place they could find, Avhich was done. The army
thereafter moved much more rapidly, encamping the evening of
that day at Bickerstaff's Old Fields, where on the 14th Colonel
Campbell issued a general order deploring the many desertions
from the army and the felonies committed, by those who had
deserted, on the poverty-stricken people of the country, and appealed
to the officers under his command to suppress the bad practice.
While in camp at this point the officers from jSTorth and South
Carolina made complaints to Colonel Campbell that there were
among the prisoners a number of men who were robbers and
assassins; whereupon. Colonel Campbell ordered the convening of
*Draper's King's Mountains.
333 SouiJitrcst Virginia, 17J/0-17SG.
a court-martial to examine into the conq^laints. A copy of the
law of Xorth Carolina was obtained, which authorized a trial of
persons charged with such offences by a jury summoned by two
jiia^iistrates, and directed their execution if found onilty. The
c(uirt-iuai'tial composed of the field officers and captains, assembled
and conducted their meeting in an orderly manner. Witnesses
were examined in every case, and, during the day, thirty-six men
Mere tried and found guilty of murder, rohbery and other offences,
and sentenced to be hanged, and on the evening of the same day,
an oak tree which stood near the camp l)y the road side was
selected as a proper })lace to execute the orders of the court. The
prisoners were brought out, surrounded by the Whig troops four
deep, after which, the lianging l)egan. Three were hanged at a
time, until nine of the condemned men had been executed. Then
a young man by the name of Baldwin, a brother of one of the
criminals, approached, and, placing his arms aroamd his brother,
who was about to be hanged, wept as if his heart would l)reak, and,
while doing so, cut the cords tliat bound his brother, who darted
through the body of men and escaped, every man being so much
affected In' the actions of young Baldwin that not one man
attempted to' recapture or take his brother. At this point Colonel
Shelby interposed and proposed that the executions should cease,
and the rest of the thirty-six condemned criminals escaped hang-
ing, being pardoned by Campbell, the commanding officer.
The Toi-y leaders who were lianged at Bickerstaff were left
SAvinging to the oak tree on which they were executed, l)ut, on tli';'
following day, after the departure of Campl)eirs forces, an elderly
lady living in the community, with the assistance of one man, cut
tlie bodies down and had them l)uried.
The march of the mountaineers began on the 15th of OctolxM-,
and, after a hard day's march, through a constant down]iour of
rain, they reached "Quaker IMeadows," the borne of IVIajor IMcDow-
ell, having traveled thirty-two miles: where the troops Avere tol-
erably Avell provided for. At this point on the following day, it
Avas agreed that Colonel Lacy Avith his men should ret\irn to South
C^arolina, Avhile tlie regiments of Colonels Sevier and Shelley, Avitli
that ])ortion of Colonel Campbell's regiment that Avere on foot, were
directed to take the mountain trail and return to their homes. The
greater ijortiou of Cami)beirs regiment, with Clevehiiid, Winston
Washing Ion Counfi/, 1777-1S70. 333
iind McDowell and tlioir Xnrth Carolina troops, decided to remain
in the service and act as a guard to the prisoners. From "Quaker
Meadows," Canipheirs troo])s with their ])risoners. marched several
days in the direction of Hillshorough, arriving at Haygood's plan-
tation on Briar creek, where Colonel C^amphell discharged a portion
of his nwn; from wliich point, on the 20th, lie addressed a letter
to his hrother-in-law. Colonel Arthur Camphell, giving him an
account of the l)att]e. which letter is as follows:
Wilkes county. Cam]) on Briar Creek, October 20, 1780.
Deal- Sir: — Ferguson and his party are no more in circumstances
to injure the citizens of America.
We came uj) with him in Craven connty. South Carolina, posted
on a height called King's mountain, about twelve miles north of the
CheroktH^ ford of Broad riAcr, al)out two o'clock in the evening of
the 7th instant, we having marched the whole night before.
Colonel Shelby's regiment and mine began the attack, and sus-
tained the whole fire of the enemy for about ten minutes while the
other troops were forming around the height upon which the enemy
were posted. The firing then became general and as hea\y as yon
can conceive for the number of men. The advantageous sitnation
of the enemy — being on top of a steep ridge — oldiged us to expose
ourselves exceedingly, and the dislodging of them was equal to
driving them from strong breast-works; though, in the end, we
gained the point of the ridge, where my regiment fought, and drove
tliem along the summit, nearly to the other end, Avhere Colonel
Cleveland with his country men were. There they were drove into
a huddle, and the greatest confusion. The flag for a surrender
was immediately hoisted ; and as soon as the troops could be noticed
of it, the firing ceased, and the survivors surrendered themselves
])risoners at discretion.
The victory was complete to a wish. ^ly regiment has suffered
moi-e than any other in the action. I must proceed with the pri-
soners until 1 can some way dispose of them. Probably I may
go to Richmond in Virginia. I am, &c.,
WU. CV\MPBELL, Col. Com.
From Briar creek the army proceeded by slow marches, by Salem
to Bethabara, a Moravian village, a large majority of the inhab-
itants of which were Tories. While stationed at this point. Col-
334 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
onels Campbell, Cleveland and Shelby made their official report of
the battle of King's mountain, which report is as follows :
"A statement of the proceedings of the western army, from the
25th day of September, 1780, to the reduction of Major Ferguson
and the army under his command. On receiving intelligence that
Major Ferguson had advanced up as high as Gilberttown, in Ruth-
erford county, and threatened tO' cross the mountains to the west-
ern waters, Colonel . Campbell, with 400 men from Washington
county, Virginia, Colonel Isaac Shelby with 340 men from Sul-
liran county, jSTorth Carolina, and • Lieutenant-Colonel John
Sevier with 240 men from Washington county. North Caro-
lina, assembled at Watauga on the 25th day of September,
where they were joined by Colonel Charles McDowell, with
160 men from the counties of Burke and Rutherford, who
had fled before the enemy to the western waters. We be-
gan our march on the 26th, and on the 30th we were joined by
Colonel Cleveland on the Catawba river, with 350 men from the
counties of Wilkes and Surry. Ko one officer having properly a
right to command in chief, on the first day of October we dispatched
an express to ]\Iajor General Gates, informing him of our situation,
and requested him to send a general officer to take command of the
whole. In the meantime Colonel Campbell was chosen to act as
commandant till such general officer should arrive. We marched to
the Cowpens, on Broad river in South Carolina, where we were
joined by Colonel James Williams, with 400 men, on the evening of
the 6th of October, who informed us that the enemy lay encamped
somewhere near the Cherokee ford of Broad river, about thirty
miles distant from us. By a council ol the principal officers, it
was then thought advisable to pursue the enemy that night with
900 of the best horsemen, and leave the weak horse and footmen
to follow as fast as possible. We 43egan our march with 900 of the
best horsemen about eight o'clock the same evening, and marching
all night came up with the enemy about three o'clock, P. M., of the
7th, who lay encamped on the top of King's mountain, twelve
miles north of the Cherokee ford, in the confidence tliat they would
not be forced from so advantageous a post. Previous to the attack,
on the march, the following disposition was made : Colonel Shelby's
regiment formed a column in the center on the left; Colonel Camp-
bell's regiment another on the right; part of Colonel Cleveland's
Washington County, 1111-1810. 335
regiment, headed in front by Major Winston, and Colonel Sevier's
regiment formed a large column on the right wing; the other part
of Colonel Cleveland's regiment, headed by Colonel Cleveland him-
self, and Colonel Williams' regiment, composed the left wing. In
this order wo advanced, and got within a quarter of a mile of the
enemy before we were discovered. Colonel Shelby's and Colonel
Campbell's r(}giments began the attack, and kept up a fire while the
right and left wings were advancing to surround them, which was
done in about five minutes; the greatest part of which time a heavy
and incessant fire was kept up on both sides ; our men in some parts,
where the regulars fought, were obliged to give way a small dis-
tance, two or three times, but rallied and returned with additional
ardor to the attack. The troops upon the right having gained the
summit of the eminence, obliged the enemy to retreat along the
top of the ridge to where Colonel Cleveland commanded, and were
tliere stopped by his brave men. A flag was immediately hoisted by
(Japtain DePeyster, their commanding officer (Major Ferguson
liaving been killed a little before), for a surrender, our fire imme-
diately ceased, and the enemy laid down their arms, the greatest
part of them charged, and surrendered themselves to us prisoners
at discretion.
It appeared from their own provision returns for that day, found
in their camp, that their whole force consisted of 1,125 men, out
(tf which they sustained the following loss: Of the regulars, one
major, one captain, two sergeants, and fifteen privates killed;
thirty-five privates wounded, left on the ground not able to march.
I'wo captains, four lieutenants, three ensigns, one surgeon, five
sergeants, three corporals, one drummer, and forty-nine privates
tjiken prisoners. Loss of the Tories : two colonels, three captains
and 201 privates killed; one major and 127 privates wounded, and
left on th(; ground, not able to march; one colonel, twelve cap-
tains, eleven lieutenants, two ensigns, one quartermaster, one adju-
tant, two commissaries, eighteen sergeants and 600 privates taken
prisoners. Total loss of the enemy, 1,105 men, at King's mountain.
Given under our hands at camp.
(Signed) WM. CAMPBELL,
ISAAC SHELBY, !
BENJ. CLEVELAND.
o n r'
Soulhirest Vinjinia, 17J/0-17S'J.
*The nunibor of men c()iu|)()sin(i- tlic ai-niy of tlic mountain ukmi
on this expedition was as follows:
From \\'asliinL':toii county. \'a., under Colonel Win. C'amplicll. 400
From Sulli\aii county. X . ('.. undci' ( 'olone] Isaat; Shelby "J 10
From Washiniitoii county, \. ('., undei- (Vilonel John Seviei-,. . 2-iO
Frojn Ihirke and IJuthcrford. X. ('.. under Colonel Charles
McDowell 1 CO
From Wilkt'S ajid Surry. X". C.. under Colonc^I Cleveland and
Majol' John Winston ooO
1.350
The official rejxjrt of the killed and wounded in the ai'iny of
the raountain men. as ])uldishe(l at the time and now on lilc w ith tlie
Gates' papers in the X^ew X'ork Tlistoi'ical Society, gives the killed
and wonnded as follows :
liETUKN OF Killed and Wounded.
KILLED.
WOUNDED
RKOIMENTS.
oi
o
o
o
I
a
S
a
a
S
3
_5)
a
s
6
>
o
o
o
5
c
S
1
'x
a
c
■1
6
>
H
!
a
Campbell's . . '
12 4 ...
0
4
12
4
1
3
17
4
8
10
21
4
8
13
•^8
McDowell's .
Thomas' . . .
S
1
8
Cleveland's ....
H
s
1
2
'>^
Shelbv's
2
2
1
10
3
3
10
3
3
i'>
Hayes'
Brannon's. ..'...
I
4
..J.. 1.
R
Tol. Williams' 1
' 1
1
28
1
19
1
3
3
;5
62
Total 1 1
1
1
2
4
90
Tt will he seen that this report is imperfect in this, that it does
not i-e])ort the killed and wonnded in Colonel Shelby's reo-iment,
and, in addition thereto, it is known to imperfectly state the killed
and wounded in Colonel Campbell's reoiment.
On the "itith day of October, Colonel Cam])hi'll issned an order
apjK)intin,a- Cdlonel Cleveland to the command of the troops then
encamped at Uethabara. aftei- which. Colonels Cam])bell and Sldby
*Foote's Bketches, N. C, page. 206
Washington County, 1777-1S70. 337
j-i'|)ai]\'(l to (iciK'i-al Gati's's caiii]) at Hillsljorough, Colonel Shelby
to offer the services of a iiuiiil)er of mountain men under Major
McDowell, to serve under General ^lorgan. The ohject of Colonel
Campbell's visit is hest stated in a letter written l)y him to Gov-
ernor Jefferson from Hillsborough, which letter is as follows:
"Hillsborough. Octo])er 31, 1780.
"Sir, — I came to this place last night tO' receive General Gates'
directions liow to dispose of the prisoners taken at King's moun-
tain, in the State of South Cai'olina, upon the 7tli instant. He has
ordered them to l)e talcen over to Montgomery county, where they
are to be secured under proper guards. General Gates transmits
to your Excellency a state of the proceedings of our little party to
the westward. I flatter myself we have much relieved that part of
the country from its late distress.
"I am, your Excellency's most ohedient and very humble servant,
"WILLIAM CAMPBELL."
General Gates directed Colonel William Preston to prepare a
proper place for the reception and care of the prisoners, but Colonel
Preston immediately answered General Gates, informing him that
the Lead Mines would be an unsafe place for the prisoners, as a
large portion of the inhabitants of Montgomery county were dis-
affected, and advised General Gates to send the prisoners to Bote-
tourt county. General Gates, ujwn receipt of Colonel Preston's
letter, was in doubt as to the proper disposition of the prisoners,
and Colonel Campbell advised him to send the prisoners north to
Washington's army, which idea General Gates partially approved,
and directed Colonel Campbell to proceed to Eichmond with dis-
patches to Governor Jefferson on the subject, which matter was re-
ferred to the Congress of the United States by Governor Jefferson,
and that body, on the 20th of !N"oveniber, expressed it as their
opinion that the governors of the several States wdiose citizens were
numbered among the prisoners should make such orders respecting
the prisoners as the public security and the laws of the respective
States may require. Acting under this recommendation of Con-
gress, that portion of the prisoners that had not previously thereto
escaped were either paroled or enlisted in the militia of the States
of North and South Carolina.
Governor Jefferson, upon receipt of General Gates' report of the
338 Southwest Virgitiia, 17J,6-17S6.
battle of King's mountain, transmitted the same to the Congress
of the United Colonies, which body, on the 15th of November,
adopted the following resolution:
"Nov. 13, 1780.
"A letter of the Tth from Governor Jeflerson was read, inclosing
a letter of the first from Major-General Gates with a particular
account of the victory ol)tained by the militia over the enemy at
King's mountain, on the 7th of October, last, whereupon Eesolved : —
"That Congress entertain a high sense of the spirited and mili-
tary conduct of Colonel Campbell and the officers and privates of
the militia under his command, displayed in the action of October,
7tli, in which a complete victory was obtained over superior num-
bers of the enemy advantageously posted on King's mountain, in
the State of S. Carolina, and that this resolution be published by
the commanding officer of the southern army, in general orders."
On tlie 15th of tlie same month the Senate of Virginia passed
the following resolutions :
"Eesolved, neminc contradicente, that the thanks of this House
ai-e justl}' due to Colonel William Campbell, of Wasliington count_v,
and the brave officers and soldiers under his command, who, with
an ardor truly patriotic in the month of September last, without
waiting for the call of Go\'ernment, voluntarily marched out to
oppose the common enemy, at the time making depredations on the
frontiers of North Carolina, and on the seventh day of October, by
a Avell-timed, judicious and spirited attack, with a force inferior
to that of ]\rajor Ferguson's, then advantageously posted on King's
mountain, with upwards of eleven hundred men, and by a perse-
verance and gallantry rarely to be met with, even among veteran
troops, totally defeated the whole party, whereby, a formidable and
dangerous scheme of the enemy was effectually frustrated."
On the lOtli day of November the Legislature of Virginia
adopted the folloMang resolutions:
"Eesolved that the thanks of this House be given to Colonel
William Campbell, of the county of Washington, and the officers
and soldiers under his command, who spontaneously equipped
tliemselves, and went forth to the aid of a sister State; suffering
distress under the invasion and ravage of the common enemy, and
wlio, combined with some detachments from the neighboring
Slates, judiciously concerted and bravely executed an attack on
Washington County, 1777-1870. 339
a party of the enemy commanded by Major Ferguson, consisting
of about 1,105 men, British and Tories, strongly posted on King's
mountain, whereby, after a severe and bloody conflict of upwards
of an hour, the survivors of the enemy were compelled to surren-
der themselves prisoners of war; and that Colonel Campbell be re-
quested to communicate the contents of this resolution to the gal-
lant officers and soUliers who composed his party."
Joseph Jones, Iiichard Henry Lee and Colonel William Fleming
wo]-e appointed a couimittee to communicate the foregoing vote
of thanlcs to Colonel Campbell, which they did, to which Colonel
Cauipljell was pleased to return the following answer :
''Gentlemen, — I am infinitely happy in receiving this public tes-
timony of the approbation of uiy country for my late services in
South Carolina. It is a reward far above my expectations, and I
esteem it the noblest a soldier can receive from a virtuous people.
Through you, gentlemen, I wish to communicate the high sense
I have of it to the House of Delegates. I owe, under Providence,
much to the brave officers and soldiers who' served with me; and I
shall take the earliest opportunity of transmitting the resolve of
your House to them, who, I am persuaded will experience all the
honest, heartfelt satisfaction, I feel myself on this occasion."
Upon the receipt of Colonel Campbell's answer, the General As-
sembly of Virginia adopted the following resolution :
"Ordered that a good horse, with elegant furniture, and a
sword, be purchased at the public expense and presented to Gen-
eral Campbell, as a fartber testimony of the high sense the Gen-
eral Assembly entertain of his late important services to his coim-
try."
This resolution was not carried into execution in the lifetime
of Colonel Campbell, but the horse and sword were afterwards pre-
sented to William C. Preston, a grandson of Colonel Campbell's,
and United States Senator for many years from South Carolina.
The gratitude of the people of Virginia to Colonel Campbell and
his brave men for the great service they had rendered their country
was unbounded, and the General Assembly of Virginia exhausted
every resource in their power to make evident the gratification of
the people.
On the 14th of Jime, 1781, the General Assembly of Virginia
adopted the following resolution :
340 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
".Resolved, that AY in. Campbell, Esq., be appointed a Brigadier-
General in the militia of this Commonwealth, and the Governor
elect do commission him accordingly."
And on the 22d of November, 1783, after the death of General
Campbell, the General Assembly adopted the following resolution:
"Eesolved, That after the lands given by law as bounties to the
officers and soldiers shall be surveyed and laid off, five thousand
acres of the surplus be granted to Charles Campbell, in considera-
tion of the meritorious services of his late father, General Camp-
bell."
And on the 9th day of December, 1780, the General Assembly
adopted the following resolution :
"Eesolved, That the Governor be directed to forward to Wash-
ington county, thirty bushels of salt and six hundred pounds cash,
toi be by the court of that county distributed among the widows and
orphans of the slain and wounded officers and soldiers of the corps
that fought at King's mountain, in such proportion as by the said
court may be judged proper."
It is doubtful whether there is another county in this Union,
whose citizens, either voluntarily or by command of the govern-
ment, rendered such valuable services to their country in a time of
imminent danger, as did the citizens of Washington county upon
this occasion, and you may search history in vain for another
instance in which the government of this Union or of any State
has shown such gratitude to the actors.
Thomas Jefferson, in speaking of this expedition in after years,
said: "I well remember the deep and grateful impression made on
the mind of every one by that memorable victory. It was the joy-
ful annunciation of that turn in the tide of success which term-
inated the Eevolutionary war with the seal of our independence."
And America's greatest historian, in speaking of this expedition
and its effect upon the public mind, said :
"The victory at King's mountain, which, in the spirit of the
American soldiers was like the rising at Concord, in its effect like
the success at Bennington, changed the aspects of the war. The
loyalist no longer dared to rise. It fired the patriots of the two
Carolinas with fresh zeal. It encouraged the fragments of the
defeated and scattered American army to seek each other and
organize themselves anew. It quickened the Legislature of North
Washington County, 1777-1870. 341
Carolina to earnest efforts. It encouraged Virginia to devote her
resources to the country south of her border."
The appearance on the frontiers of a numerous enemy from
settlements hej^ond the mountains, whose very names had been
unkno-wTi to the British, took CoTnwallis by surprise, and their suc-
cess was fatal to his intended expedition. He had hoped to step
with ease from one Carolina to the other and from those to the con-
quest of Virginia, and he had now no other choice but to retreat."*
Before closing this account, it is but proper that there should be
given an incident connected with one of Washington county's brave
soldiers, who lost a leg and who was badly wounded in his arm in
this battle.
"Among the wounded left by General Campbell at Bicker-
staff was William Moore. Fpon the rotTirn of the Virginia troops
to their homes, information was imparted to Moore's wife of the
wounding of her hiisband, the brave part he had taken in the action
and the disposition made of him at Bickerstaff, whereupon, she
immediately mounted her hoi*se and, alone, traveled in the month
of N"ovember the long and dangerous road from her home in the
upper end of this county to Bickerstaff in North Carolina, where
she found her husband, nursed him l)ack to health and strength,
and brought him back to his homo, where he lived an honored life
until the year 182G.
Tradition says that he was an elder in the Ebbing Spring Pres-
byterian church, and that for many years before his death he con-
stantly attended his cliurch; and, at every meeting, immediately
upon the conclusion of the services, he would take his position, upon
his crutch, at the entrance to the church, and receive the contribii-
tions of the people. Many of the descendants of William Moore
and his wife, who was equally as brave as he, at the present time
live in the upper end of this county and are numbered among our
best citizens.
At the time Colonel Campbell decided to join the expedition
against Colonel Ferguson, he was making the necessary prepara-
tions for an expedition against the Cherokee Indians, under orders
from Governor Jefferson, which orders were as follows :
^^ *Bancroft.
342 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
In Council, June 22, 1780.
Sir: — Orders have been sent to the county lieutenants of Mont-
gomery and AVashington, to furnish 250 of their militia to proceed
in conjunction with the Carolinians against the Chickamoggas.
You are hereby autliorized to take command of said men. Should
the Carolinians not have at present such an expedition in contem-
plation, if you can engage them to concur as volimteers, either at
their own expense or that of their State, it is recommended to you
to do it. Take great care to distinguish the friendly from the hos-
tile part of the Cherokee nation, and to protect the former while you
severely punish the latter. The commissary and quartermaster in
the Southern department is hereby required to furnish you all the
aid of his department. Should the men, for the purpose of dis-
patch, furnish horses for themselves to ride, let them be previously
.'ippraised, as in cases of impress, and for such as shall be killed, die
or be lost in the service without any default of the owner, payment
shall be made by tlie public. An order was lodged with Colonel
Preston for 1,000 poimds of powder from the lead mines for this
expedition; and you receive herewith an order for 500 pounds of
j)owder from Colonel Fleming for the same purpose, of the expendi-
ture of which you will render account.
I am, sir, your very humble servant,
THOMAS JEFFEESON.*
Colonel Campbell, in his certificate heretofore given, states this
to have been his authority for taking his men upon the expedition
against Ferguson.
Upon the return of Colonel William Campbell and his forces
from King's mountain, Colonel Arthur Campbell, the county lieu-
tenant of Washington county, immediately proceeded to organize
and carry on the expedition against the Cherokees, as directed by
Governor Jefferson. Upon his return from this expedition, on the
15th of January, 1781, he made a report to the Governor of Vir-
ginia, which is so full and complete, that I here give it in the words
of Colonel Arthur Campbell:
"Sir: — The militia of this and the two western North Carolina
counties have been fortunate enough to frustrate the designs of the
Cherokees. On my reaching the frontiers I found the Indians
*Gibb's Doc. His. of the American Revolution, Vol. 2.
Washington County, 1777-1S70. 343
meant to annoy us by small parties, and carry off horses. To resist
them effectually, the apparently best measure was to transfer the
war, without delay, to their own borders. To raise a force suffi-
cient and provide them with provisions and other necessaries seemed
to be a work of time that would be accompanied with uncommon
difficulties, especially in the winter season; our situation was cri-
tical, and nothing but an extraordinary effort could save us and
disappoint the views of the enemy; all the miseries of 1776 came
fresh into remembrance, and, to avoid a like scene, men flew to their
arms and went to the field. The Wattago men, under Lieutenant
Sevier, first marched to the amount of about three hundred. The
militia of this with that of Sullivan county made 400 more. The
place of rendezvous was to be on this side of the French river.
Colonel Sevier, with his men, got on the path before the others,
and by means of some discoveries made by his scouts he was in-
duced to cross the river in pursuit of a party of Indians tliat had
been coming towards our settlements. On the IGtli of December
he fell in with a party, since found to consist of seventy Indians,
mostly from the town of Ohote, of which were killed thirteen, and
he took all their baggage, etc., in which were some of Clinton's
Proclamations and other documents expressive of their hostile de-
signs against us.
"After this action the Wattago corps tho't it proper to retreat
into an island of the river. The 22d I crossed the French river,
and found the Wattago men in great want of provisions. We gave
them a supply from our small stock: and the next day made a
forced march towards the Tenasee. The success of the enterprise
seemed to rest on our safely reaching the further bank of that
river: as we had information the Indians had obstructed the com-
mon fording places, and had a force ready there to oppose our
crossing. The meaning of the 24th I made a feint towards the
Island Town, and, with the main body, passed the river without re-
sistance at Timotlee.
"We were now discO'vered, such of the Indians as we saw seemed
to be flying in consternation. Here I divided my force, sending a
part to attack the town below, and with the other I proceeded
towards their principal town Chote. Just as I passed a defile above
Toque, I observed the Indians in force, stretching along the hills
below Chote, with an apparent design to attack our van there with-
344 Southivest Virginia, 17Jf6-1786.
out our view; but the main bcHly too soon came iu sight for me
to decoy them from ofO the hills. So they quietly let us pass in
order, without firing a gun, except a few scattering shot at our
rear; at a great distance from the Cleft, we soon were in possession
of their beloved Town, in Avhieh we found a welcome supply of pro-
visions.
^'The 35th, Major Martin went with a detachment to discover
the route the enemy were flying oif by. He surprised a party of
Indians, took one scalp and seventeen horses loaded with clothing,
skins and house furniture. He discovered that most of the fugi-
tives were making towards Telico and the TTi^\'asee. The same
day, Captain Crabtree, of the Virginia Eeg't was detached with
sixty men to burn the town of Chilhowee. He succeeded in setting
fire to that part of it situated on the south side of the river, altho"
in the time, he was attacked by a superior force. He made his re-
treat good.
"The 36th, IMajor Tipton, of the Carolina Corps, was detached
with 150 mounted infantry, with orders to cross the river, dislodge
the enemy on that side and destroy the town of Tilassee. At the
same time Major Gilbert Christian, with 150 foot, was to patrol
the hills on the south side of Chilhowee and burn the remaining
part of that town. This party did their duty, killed three Indians
and took nine prisoners. The officer of the Horse, by unmilitary
behavior, failed in crossing the river. This trip took two days.
"In this time, the famous Indian woman, Nancy Ward, came
to camp; she gave us various intelligence and made an overture in
behalf of some of the Chiefs for peace, to which I avoided giving
an explicit answer, as I wished first to visit the vindictive part of
the nation, mostly settled at Hiwassee and Chistowee, and to dis-
tress the whole as much as possible, by destroying their habitations
and provisions.
"The 2<Sth, we set fire to Chote, Scitigo and Little Tuskeego,
and moved oiir whole force to a town on Telico Eiver, Kai-a-tee,
where I intended a post, for to secure a retreat and tO' lay up pro-
visions in. This evening, Major Martin, on returning from a pa-
trol, attacked a party of Indians, killed two, and drove several into
the river. The same evening in a skirmish w^e lost Captain James
I]lliott, a gallant young officer, being the first and only man the
Washington Countij, 1777-1S70. 345
enemy had power to hurt, on the Expedition. The Indians lost
three men on the occasion.
"Tlie ?9th, I set out for Hiwassec, distant about forty miles, leav-
ing at Kai-a- tee, under Major Christian, a garrison of one hundred
and fifty men.
"The 80ih, we arrived at Hiwassee and found the towi\ of the same
name abandoned. In patrolling the environs we took a sensible
young warrior, who informed us that a body of Indians, with
McDonald, the British agent and some Tories, were at Chistowee,
twelve miies distant, waiting to receive us. I had reason tO' believe
the cnou.y had viewed us from the hills above Hiwassee; for which
reason I ordered our camp to be laid off, fires kindled, and other
shews made, as if we intended to stay all night. At dark we set out
with about three hundred men (the Wattage men refusing to go
further), crossing tlie river at an unexpected ford, and that night
got near the town. Early in the morning of the 31st, we found that
the ene.uy had lied in haste the evening before, leaving behind them
as they had done at the other towns, almost all their corn and other
provision3, togetlier v,ith many of their utensils for agriculture and
all their lieavy household furniture, with part of their stock of
horses, cattle and hogs. Tliese towns, I expected, would have been
contended for v/ith obstinacy, as most of the Chickamogga people
had remov(!d hence after their visitation in 1779. Our troops
becom.ing impatient and no other object of importance being in
view, it 'Aa^ resolved to retiu-n homeward. Major Martin, with a
detachment, was ordered to Sattago, and the other towns on the
Telico river. In his route he took four prisoners, from whom he
learnt that .-evL'rnl of the chiefs had met a few days before in order
to consult on means to propose a treaty for peace. As I found the
enemy n-erc limnblod and to gain time, I took the liberty to send
the chiefs a message, which was as follows :
"( 'liiefs and Warriors : — We came into your country to fight your
young men. We have killed not a few of them and destroyed your
to^^'•ns. You know }ou began the war, by listening to the bad coun-
cils of iiie Iving of England and the falsehoods told you by his
agents. We are now satisfied with what is done, as it may convince
your nation that we can distress them much at any time they are
so foolish as to engage in a war against us. If you desire peace,
as we understand you do, we, out of pity to your women and chil-
346 Southwest Virginia, 17Jf6-1786.
dren, are disposed to treat Avith you on that subject and take you
into our friend.^hip once more. We therefore send this by one of
your young men, who is our prisoner, to tell you if you are also
disposed to make j^eace, for six of your head men to come to our
agent, ]\h;jor ]\Ia]-tin, at the Great Island within two moons. They
will have a safe ]^as«port, if they will notify us of their approach
by a runner witli a flag, so as to give him time to meet them with a
guard on. IT ol stein river, at the boundary line. The wives and chil-
dren of these men of your nation that protested against the war, if
they are willing to lake refuge at the Great Island until peace is
restored, we will give them a supply of provisions to keep them
alive.
'■'Warriors lislen ettentively.
"If we receive no answer to this message until the time alreiidy
mentioned expires, we shall conclude you intend to continue to be
our enemies, v.hich will compel us to send another strong force into
yoi^r country who will come prepared to stay a long time, and take
posppi^sion thereof, as conquered by us, without making any restitu-
tion to you for yonr lands.
"Signed at Kai-a-tee the 4th day of January, one thousand seven
hiindied and eig'lity-one, by
^ "AETHUE CAMPBELL, Col.
"JOHN SEVIEE, Lieutenant-Col.
"JOSEPH MAETIN, Agent & Major of Militia."
"The fulfillment of this message will require your Excellency's
further instructions, and in which I expect North Carolina will
assist, or that Congress will take upon themselves the whole. I
believe advantageous promises of peace may be easily obtained with
a siiri'pnder of snch an extent of country, that will defray the
expenses of war. But such terms will be best insured b}' placing a
garrison of two hundred men under an active officer on the banks
of the Tenasee.
"'('5iir v.hole loss on this expedition was one man killed by the
Indians and two wounded by accident. It would have been very
pleasing to the troops to have met the whole force of the nation at
once on equal ground, but so great was the panic that seized them,
after seeing us in order over tlie Tenasee, that they never ven-
turned themselves in sight of the army, luit on rocky clefts and
other ground inaccessible to our mounted infantry. By the returns
Washington County, 1777-1870. 347
of the officers of the different detachments, we killed twenty-nine
]nen and took seventeen prisoners, mostly women and children. The
number of wounded is uncertain. Besides these, we brought in the
family cf ISTancy Ward, whom for their good offices, we considered
in anotliei light.
'^'The wliole are in Major Martin's care at the Great Island until
the sense of government is kno-wn as to how they are to be dis-
posed of.
''Jlie towns of Chote, Scitigo, , Chilhowee, Toque
]\[ie]iqua, Kai-a-tee, Sattooga, Telico, Hiwassee and Chistowee, all
principal towns, besides some small ones and several scattering set-
tlements, in which were upwards of a thousand houses and not less
than fifty thousand bushels of corn and large quantities of other
kinds of provisions, were committed to the flames or otherwise
destroyed, after taking sufficient subsistence for the army whilst in
the country and on its return. No place in the over-hill country
]"enialned unvisited, except the small town of Telasee, a scattering
sottlejnent in the neighborhood of Chickamogga, and the town of
Caloogac, sitnated on the sources of the Mobile. We found in
Oconostato's baggage, which he left behind in his fright, various
manuscripts, copies of treaties, commissions, letters and other
archives of the nation, some of which shew the double game tJiat
people have been carrying on during the present war. There
seemed to be not a man of honor among the chiefs, except him of
Kai-a-tee, whom I would willingly have excepted had it been in
my power. Never did a people so happily situated act more fool-
i?]dy in losing their livings and their country, at a time an advan-
tageous neiitrality was held out to them, but such is the consequence
of British seductions.
''The enemy in my absence did some mischief in Powell's Valley
ard on the Kentucky path, near Cumberland Gap, besides three
small children that they scalped on Holstein, one of the perpetrators
of which, we knocked up on our return, and retook a number of
horses. The Botetourt and Montgomery militia were too slow in
their movements to do any service. The Virginia militia that served
with me on the expedition, expect to be paid in the same manner
with those that served last year in Carolina.
"What provisions were needed on our setting out were purchased
on short credit, which will, I trust, be punctually paid on the first
348 Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
apj)lication. Yo;ir Excellency will please to excuse the length of
this narration. T thought it my duty to give a circumstantial detail
of the facts, as tlie undei-taking had something singular in it and
may lead to important consequences.
"I am, sir, your most Ob't and very humble Serv't &c.,
"AETHUR CAMPBELL."
On the 1st day of January, 1781, the army of Campbell, Sevier
and Martin divided into small detachments and returned to their
homes by different I'outes, after having laid waste all the country
occupied by the over-hill Cherokees.
In answer to the talk sent to the Indians, a number of chiefs
met Colonel Martin at Chote, but nothing was accomplished at
this time.
Upon the return of Colonel Arthur Campbell to his home, he
immediately communicated with G-eneral Greene, the Commander
of the Southern Department, when General Greene appointed
Arihur Campl)cll, William Preston, William Christian, Joseph Mar-
tin, on behalf of Virginia, and Robert Lanier, Evan Shelby, Joseph
Williams and John Sevier, on the part of North Carolina, commis-
sioners, to negotiate a treaty with the Cherokee Indians, at the
Long Island of Ilolston river, on the 24th of IMarch, 1781 : on
which day. Colonels Campbell, Martin, Shelby and Sevier met at the
Long Island and sent off one of the Indian prisoners to the Indian
nation proposing peace and fixing the 10th day of June as the time;
which time of meeting was afterwards postponed until the 20th day
of July, 1781, on which day the negotiations were completed. But
at the instigation of British agents, the Indians continued their
depiedations u|)on the white settlers. On the 13th of January, 1781,
a settler in PoAvell's Valley was killed and fourteen horses that
belonged to a party -of men coming from Kentucky were carried off.
In the latter part of January, a considerable number of Indians
attacked Fort Blackmore* in this county, and, about tlie middle of
February, three men were killed in PowelFs Valley and a consid-
ei'able number of horses carried off.
A company of militia was organized by Colonel Campbell and
ordered to patrol Powell's Valley, under the command of Colonel
J()seph Martin and Major Aaron Lewis. As this company of troops
*Now Scott county.
Washington County, 1777-1870. 349
proceeded on their outward trip, they discovered a large body of
Jiidians in Powell's Valley. The Indians discovering the presence
of Major Lewis, made their escape, but several traces of smaller
parties, all making towards the mouth of Powell's river, were dis-
covered, and the one that appeared the freshest was followed by
Colonel Martin and his men, for about thirty miles below Cum-
berland Gap, where the Indians were surprised and surrounded,
but the cane was so thick they could not easily be detected or pur-
si;ed on liorseback. Thirty guns at least were fired upon them, and,
while it was thought that some of them were Avounded, there
were none killed or left upon the ground. Martin's militia captured
a number of shot pouches and blankets, upon one of which was
found the name, John Brown, written in full, the said John Brown
having been previously killed in Cumberland Gap. Colonel Mar-
tin and his men pursued the Indians for about seventy miles. In
tiie latter part of March, a party of northward Indians came up
on the Sandy river and penetrated as far as tlie settlement on Hols-
tou, where they carried off a son of Captain Bledsoe's, and the
f]-oj]tiers were invaded at numerous other points by the Indians.
Tlie settlements were threatened by an invasion from the united
forces of the Cherokee and Creek Indians, assisted by the British
agents and Tories.
Colonel Arthur Campbell recommended to the Governor of Vir-
ginia the building of a fort at the junction of the Tennessee and
Ilf'lston rivers, and was actively engaged in building the fort at
Cumberland Cap as previously ordered by the Governor.
The Continental Congress and the officers of the Continental army
having ascertained the value of the mountain militia, a pressing
application from General Greene for men was received by Colonel
Arthur Campbell, the county lieutenant of this county. Colonel
Campbell immediately ordered out the militia of this county, not-
withstanding their circumstances were ill-suited to such an expedi-
tion, as matters with the Cherokees were still unsettled and the
Indians from the northward were constantly invading the settle-
ments. On the 25th day of February, 1781, one hundred men under
Colc.nel William Campbell set out to join the militia of Botetourt
and Montgomery coiinties, on their march to General Greene's army.
Colonel Arthur Campl)ell, in a letter to the Governor on the 28th
day of this month, said : "A large number would have gone, were
350 Southwest Virginia, 17JfG-17S6.
it not for the daily appro! lonsion of attacks from the northward
and southern Indians."
Colonel William Campbell and his men marched to a point at or
near the Lead i\Iines, where they were joined by the Montgomery
militia.
In the month of March, 1781, Colonel Arthur Campbell, county-
lieutenant of Washington county, made a return of the militia of
this county, from Mdiich it appears that there were, at this time, in
this county, 2 battalions, 6 field officers, 55 commissioned officers,
4^ non-commissioned officers, 953 rank and file. In addition, there
were about one hundred men residing between Walker's and Plender-
scn's lines, who did duty at times as their inclination led them."
Colonel Canipl)ell, with his com.pany of one hundred men pro-
ceeded from Abingdon by the Lead Mines and on into North
Carolina, where, on March 2d, he joined General Greene with four
hundred volunteers. Colonel Campbell was now to oppose Lord
Cornwallis, who had imbibed a personal resentment towards him
as the commander at King's mountain, and wlw had threatened that,
should Colonel Campbell fall into his hands, he would have him
instantly put tO' death, for his rigor against the Tories, evidently
d(\:igning to hold him personally responsible for the execution of the
Toi} leaders at BickerstafP. This, instead of intimidating Colonel
Cnmpbell, had the contrary effect, and Campbell, in turn, resolved
tliat. if the fortunes of war should place CornAvallis in his power, he
should meet the fate of Ferguson. It was not long until Campbell
and his men were called into action.
The Virginia militia, other than Colonels Preston's and Camp-
bell's commands, w^hile on the march to join General Greene, were
threatened with an attack from Colonel Tarleton's cavalry, with
foui hundred infantry and two pieces of artillery sent out by Cotu-
wallis to intercept them. General Greene had dispatched Colonel
Otho Williams to protect the advancing reinforcements from his
camp at Speedwell's Iron Works, on the upper waters of Trouble-
some creek. The Virginia militia were marching on a highway,
rimning west from a point below Hillsborough, to General Greene's
headquarters. Cornwallis was in camp on the Alamance creek, about
thirty miles west from Hillsborough. The command of Colonel Wil-
liams was between the camp of Cornwallis and the advancing mili-
tia. The roads leading from Cornwallis's camp and Williams's camp
Washington County, 1777-1870. 351
to the position occupied by the militia, intersected each other at
Whitsill's Mill, which was the nearest point at which Cornwallis
could attack the advancing militia.
It was the design of Cornwallis to attack and scatter this militia
force and to destroy the three thousand arms they were bringing
to General Greene's camp.
General Greene moved his camp to Boyd's Mill, within fifteen
miles of Cornwallis, and Colonels Williams and Pickens were on the
fiank of the enemy. General Greene anxiously awaited results at
his camp, seven miles above Whitsill's Mill. Thus matters stood on
the fith of March, when Cornwallis made a sudden dash north,
expecting to reach Whitsill's Mill in advance of Williams, and,
passing north ten miles further, to intercept the militia reinforce-
ments at High Eock Ford on Haw river, but Cornwallis had hardly
left his camp before Colonel Williams received the news, and the
]'ace for Whitsill's Mill began. They were traveling on parallel
roads, Williams with his light troops flying to the rescue oi his
friends, Cornwallis with his heavy wagon train, dashing through
ever} olistruction with reckless speed, hoping to intercept and
desti'oy General Greene's reinforcements. "As the patrols and
scouts passed from one column to the other, apprising each of the
advance of his competitor, the race grew more animated, the com-
petitors more earnest and resolute. The goal was now getting nearer
and the excitement greater, when Williams, putting forth his whole
energy, urged his men to a triumphant speed and dashed down the
hill and across the Eeedy Fork, as the enemy appeared upon the
crest in their rear, entering from the other road."*
Colonel Williams drew up his forces on the north bank of the
stream, where he attacked the British and checked them in their
onward march.
Colonel Williams' command was composed of some ISTorth Caro-
lina troops and the Virginia militia under the command of Colonels
Campbell and 7h"eston, who, as previously stated, had joined General
Greene on March 2d, and the cavalry corps of Washington and Lee.
The position occupied by Colonel Williams' forces was in front of
the ford and some two hundred yavds below the mill.
As the British forces approached, their riflemen formed the front
rank' and fired at a distance, continuing to advance toward the creek
*Schenck's North Carolina, 1780-1781.
352 Sovihwest Virginia, 17.k6-n86.
uiiiil tlicv wrie within eighty yards of the American line, wlicn
('niii|ilM'll"s and Preston's riflemen tired upon them with deadly
efiecl. One of the British officers, when shot, bounding up several
feet fell dead. The enemy continued to advance, and when within
forty-five yards of the American line, they were again fired upon
jiy the riflemen. The enemy used their small arms and field pieces,
l)ut, in every instance, tlieir firing was too high, and took effect only
among the limbs of the trees.
The enemy's forces were on flic hill, and their view was greatly
■obstructed by the smoke from the discharge of the guns of the
Americans, who were below them. One of the principal objects
^^'hicb Colonel Williams had in view was the protection of Whit-
siH's l\[i]l for a time sufficient to enable the provision wagons
belonging to General Greene's army to load with provisioii, which
Mas effected, and to prevent Cornwallis from surprising the rein-
forcements on their way to General Greene. The Americans, ^^n\-
ing accomplished their object, retired over the ford, which was about
fjircc feet deep, with a rapid current, a slippery, rocky bottom and
a precipitous brushy bank on the northern side.
While crossing the ford. Major Joseph Cloyd observed G!)l'>ncl
William Preston, his commaiider, on foot, Preston having lost his
horse in the skirmish, whereupon Cloyd dismounted and assisted
Colonel Preston into his saddle, when both escaped.
The principal part of the fighting in this skirmish was done by
Campbell's and Preston's riflemen and 
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